Braving the Storm
by Yamadori
Summary: Blue Dragon Game. Disc 3, after acquiring the mechat. When the Jumbo Mecha Robo returns, Jiro and Kluke are taken, and Shu is separated from Zola and Marumaro by a Robo army. Now Shu will have to get back to his friends, and fast... Before it's too late.
1. Prologue: Strong Zephyrs

**Yes – I got this uploaded! :D And, wow, only three days after my last update. Hm… Maybe I **_**am**_** getting back into my rhythm after all. ;) Anyway, before we get to the story, first I'll talk about it a little. This is sort of, but not entirely, an alternate storyline, similar to **_**Blue Dragon Beyond**_** – the difference is that this takes place almost directly after getting the mechat, while **_**Beyond**_** takes place after the group has had it for a little while. This was inspired by an old Blue Dragon trailer I saw a few weeks back (as far as I know, it's the oldest trailer for Blue Dragon that there is). Another thing that inspired it was a plot twist I had recently thought up for **_**Blue Dragon Beyond**_**, but there was no room for it; the plot twist in itself was too short to be a stand-alone story, and had no proper beginning anyway, so it seemed like a good opportunity to combine it with the inspiration I got from the trailer (along with a few theories of my own concerning this time period in the game). On a side (but related) note, **_**Braving the Storm**_** will have a heavy focus on the friendship between Shu, Jiro and Kluke, and also (on a smaller level) the romantic triangle that's often seen between the trio. There will be some Marumaro x Zola as well (as much as you'd normally find in the game, anyway, and perhaps a little more). In one last relating note, I looked over the plot a little more (which, thankfully, unlike most of my other stories, is clearly outlined in my head), and contrary to what I said on my profile, I don't think it's going to be as long as **_**Troubles on White Day**_**. Still… If I suddenly get ideas while I'm writing it, that could certainly change. ;) Also, if everyone wants to see one, I'm willing to write a sequel to **_**Braving the Storm**_** after it's been completed. Well… That's pretty much all that I have to mention. There won't be normal title chapters like in my other stories – to see the chapter names, once the other chapters have been uploaded, look for them in the dropdown menu – so after the disclaimer, read on! ;D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Blue Dragon. And… And… Ugh, I'm burned out on ideas to make this thing interesting. XP**

He watched them on the screen, flying around in their mechat, resisting the urge to throw something at the monitor and shatter it into pieces.

The picture zoomed in; he could them out better now. In particular, that girl he had recently taken prisoner. Not that one would ever be able to tell - not with how happy she looked right then.

He smacked the monitor's surface with his hand, not hard enough to break, but enough to make the thing tremble (just like his plans for the simple-minded inhabitants of this world). In the spaces between his fingers was the upper half of her body, the girl laughing at something the boy next to her had said.

To be so happy... He had her spirit _broken_ - she should _not_ still be this way! Such a thing Nene essentially considered a personal insult to himself...

And no one - _no one_ - insulted him and got away with it.

* * *

"_What_ did you say you saw?" Jiro asked, trying to keep the incredulity out of his voice and failing miserably.

The Sheep Tribe girl repeated it for him. "A big, round thing just _flew_ over the camp, about an hour ago, right after the most recent earthquake-"

She was cut off by several simultaneous shrieks of joy.

"Shu, can you keep it down for a second?" Jiro shouted over his shoulder just as his best friend ran past with Marumaro, several Sheep Tribe children either being chased by or following after them.

Shu and Marumaro were both gregarious by nature - a little more for Marumaro; having _six_ little brothers and sisters tended to do that to you - so they had rapidly become favorites of the camp's youngest tribe members (ages ranging from about three to seven). Jiro didn't really mind them playing - after all, it brought back some nice memories of Shu and himself when they'd been much younger - but he at least wanted to find out more about this strange thing that had been seen passing overhead, and that would be a little easier if every five seconds a Sheep Tribe child wasn't crying out in glee.

Jiro's request had for the most part been ignored - though this was more likely because they hadn't heard him and not something intentional - but he turned back to the Sheep Tribe girl and said, "Sorry about that. Please, go ahead."

She nodded. "Right after the earthquake, it just came out of nowhere and flew over the camp. I've never seen anything like it before."

Jiro's eyebrows furrowed a little more. "And did you happen to see what it looked?"

The young girl scratched the back of her head. "Well... It was moving kind of fast... The only thing that I could really make out was that it was gray. It seemed kind of metallic, too, since the sunlight seemed to be reflecting off of it."

Jiro placed a hand under his chin. "I wonder..." He finished the rest of it in his head. _Could it be Nene?_

A short distance away, Kluke sat on top of one of the large crates, absentmindedly petting the monkey that had earlier taken a Banana and given them some Forbidden Crystals in exchange (she had no idea why, but the small animal seemed to be particularly fond of her). "Seeing Shu running around like that... It's almost like being home again."

Zola, leaning against the rock wall, tilted her head towards the younger girl. "There were Sheep Tribe members in Talta?"

Kluke shook her head. "No... But Shu used to play a lot with two younger kids, Coluti and Shifa, the same way he's playing right now..." She sounded miles away.

"Kluke..." Zola started.

She shook her head. "No, it's fine. Listen to me, getting caught up in the past," she smiled at Zola, "when I _should_ be celebrating a certain someone's return."

Zola chuckled. "I think earlier Marumaro celebrated enough for all of us."

Kluke's smile warmed. "It's great to have you back, Zola. We knew that you'd be okay, but we really did miss you."

Zola nodded. "I missed being with all of you, too."

Kluke had little time to be stunned about how Zola had just opened up.

"Kluke, Zola," Jiro said as he approached them. "There's something I need to tell you."

He explained to Kluke and Zola about everything that the Sheep Tribe girl had told him, and also included his own theories concerning the strange flying object.

"Jiro..." Kluke's hands were clasped over her chest. "Do you really think it's Nene?"

He nodded grimly. "I'm hoping that it isn't, but that's just being optimistic at best." His expression softened. "In any case, we should head the way that it was going. The flashing dot closest to the Lal Mountains Camp isn't too far from where the flying object seemed to be headed, so we would've needed to go in that direction anyway."

"Alright," Zola pushed off of the rock wall. "I'll go get Shu and Marumaro. Jiro, Kluke, stock up on supplies and get ready to head out."

They both nodded, speaking simultaneously. "Okay."

Once Zola had gone, Jiro helped Kluke down from the crate. "Thanks." She said after she'd landed.

"You're we-" was as far as Jiro got before being cut off by another exuberant scream.

Kluke sighed, ruefully shaking her head. "Guess we better get ready to go, then."

"Right," Jiro nodded, following her to the Item Shop, pushing out of his mind the sudden inexplicable feeling that this wouldn't end well.

* * *

Shu leaned absentmindedly against the machine gun - there weren't any enemies in sight, but he wanted to be close to the weapon for when they _were_.

He had to admit that it was nice to take a break from piloting. He had more experience at using the mechat than Zola - man, he thought, even if it was true, thinking that he had more experience than Zola at anything felt so _weird_! - but the one thing she had that he didn't was a good deal of patience and extreme control over her emotions, thus meaning that she would be better equipped to handle Marumaro's habit of incessantly chatting with whoever flew the ship.

Marumaro hadn't been there the first time they'd had a mechat, but he had when they'd chased after Nene's mechat, and in the hour they'd spent flying around after reuniting with Zola (this had been prior to the return to the Lal Mountains Camp). The total amount of time he'd spent on the ships hadn't been terribly long, but it was long enough. Long enough to discover this habit of his. Long enough to have something occur (indirectly related to Marumaro's habit) which Jiro - shuddering in horror whenever it was mentioned - referred to as the "Wetlands Incident".

Shu sighed, leaning back a little, his thoughts shifting to the object that had flown over the Sheep Tribe Camp. He felt immensely curious about what it could be, and equally anxious to find out more about it. He only wished that they could search a little faster - he felt so _bored_.

Fortunately for Shu - or, perhaps, _un_fortunately, as he would find out - his wish was about to be granted. "Guys, _look_!" Kluke yelled, pointing off the side of the mechat.

In the direction Kluke indicated, there seemed to be a small body of water on the top of the mountain - though Shu and Marumaro hadn't made the distinction, and Kluke and Zola were a little slow doing so, Jiro instantly recognized it as a Caldera lake - and in the center of that was some kind of yellow structure. That hadn't been what caught their attention, though.

What _did_ catch their attention was the large, gray ball that rested on the mountain peak next to it.

The ball, which as they came closer, started to unfold, revealing Mecha Robo hands and feet, and the green metal that had been obscured while it had been curled up.

"Is that...? !" Kluke started.

Jiro finished her sentence for her. "The Jumbo Mecha Robo!"

The robot stood at full height now, and considering that it stood on top of a very tall mountain, looked quite formidable.

They weren't given to the opportunity to dwell on it.

Shu saw it coming first. "Zola, look out! !"

From the center of the Mecha Robo's body, where it usually fired ammunition, this time it had fired a missile, one which was heading straight for the mechat.

Grunting with effort, Zola threw the controls in the opposite direction, hoping that she'd moved fast enough to get them away, even though she knew in her head that she hadn't.

The missile landed a direct hit to the mechat's side, rocking everything with the force of it. The ship started heading down before the smoke even had a chance to drift up.

Simultaneous with the missile's connection, Shu had been thrown backwards. He heard Kluke screaming his name before his head smacked against the railing, conscious only of the sound of it banging into the metal, and then there was nothing but darkness.

**And the Prologue is done! :D Short compared to what I've been writing recently, but more normal sized taking into account my other first chapters/prologues (which were either around this size or shorter). Also, that's probably one of the better cliffhangers I've done for a while… It was just too tempting; I couldn't help but leave it there. ;) Anyway… I'm very pleased with how this chapter turned out; I've already addressed a few key things to the story, even if some of them may not be as clear right now. Also, though I haven't started working on it yet, I have a clear idea of what will happen in chapter one and where it should end up leaving off (something that usually doesn't happen to me). So… Please review if you're able to; I'd like to know what you thought of it. :) I'm still aiming to update this after 10 hits, though what really decides the next update is the poll on my profile (the results will be cleared after this is uploaded, so remember to please vote again!). I hope you enjoyed it, and hopefully I'll see you soon! :D**


	2. Chapter 1: Caught in the Downpour

**Finally got this chapter uploaded! :D Sorry it took me so long, with this chapter in particular, and all of my stories in general. I've been sick… (Just when I think I have it beat, the stupid flu repeats on me. XP) That's besides the point, though… Since I'm not feeling well, the notes will probably be relatively short. ****So, with that, I'll go ahead and do the review replies now.**

**Ultimashadow:** Thanks! XD *blushes* O-oh no, n-not me… (_Jiro: Wow, never seen you turn that red before…_) (_J-Jiro!_) Thank you, though; that means a lot. :) I know; he never seemed that mad… But that's what I found strange - I had always thought that he would be madder than he had been at the end of disc two, and in disc three, but there wasn't any sign of that. Maybe he only gets that mad when he's alone. ;) Oh… The prisoner is Kluke. Sorry; I probably should've given more detail so it would've been clear. I had that in mind when I wrote it. XD Though it was actually something I added mostly to give the story more detail; that paragraph had been painfully small before I gave it more details. Wow, never heard that one before. XD Great; sounds like I'm doing my job right again. ;D And like I often say in response – at least, I think it's often… *tries to rack forgetful brain* - I'll do my best. :)

**Prince of Tennis' Shaman:** Thank you! :D *blushes* Th-thanks, An… I think it does; I'll figure it out when my head stops spinning. XD (_Jiro: You are one of the most easy to embarrass people that I have ever met…_) (_I know. XD_) That's good; I thought I had everyone in character fairly well, but… Well, you know me; I always worry at least a little, if not a lot. XD XD Yep, I think I'm getting back into my cliffhanger swing. XD It didn't turn out quite the way I had intended in the summary, but for the most part, I think I kind of got it… (_Jiro: Help me!_) (_Oh, come on, Jiro, it's not that bad-_) (_Jiro: Not that bad? NOT THAT BAD? Have you LOOKED at this thing? *waves script in the air*_) (_Well… Yes, there is going to be that one scene… But, don't worry about that for now. :) *starts pushing*_) (_Jiro: Hey, wait-!_) So… ;) I'm looking forward to it, too; I've only written the prologue, and it's already become one of my favorites to write. :D _Blue Dragon Beyond_ is the closest to being done out of all of those; it's about halfway done, I think… And about the adaptation… There'll be more about that after the replies, but I want to say in advance that I'm sorry… ;.; But I _will_ get to it; I'm not giving up. *determined look* Okay; thanks for voting. :D And Happy (belated) Halloween to you, too! :)

**Inita:** Thank you. :) Yes; Nene more than the Jumbo Mecha Robo, but both of them will definitely be the main ones. Oh, yeah, I think I remember seeing that one, too… Thanks again; I'm sorry it took so long, but I finally finished it. :) Me too. XD I wanted to write the part in the summary in the prologue, but I think it worked better to do it this way. (P.S. I know this is kind of late, considering that you've been a member for a month and a half, but... Welcome to the site! :) I'm sorry that I haven't read and reviewed your stuff yet, but I'm going to try to do it soon; I'm looking forward to reading it and seeing what it's like. :D)

**Okay; review replies are done. Again, I'm feeling… unwell, so I'll be hurrying through most of this note. But there's something important I have to mention first. You may have already found out if you read the most recent news entry on my profile, but I'm putting it here just in case - there's some bad news concerning the adaptation of Blue Dragon Plus… Like I said I would, I'll just copy and paste what I put on my profile:**

_**12/1/2009: I have some unfortunate news regarding the next story to be updated/uploaded. Currently, as some of you may already know, the leading story of the poll is the adaptation of Blue Dragon Plus. I've been working on the prologue since it's been in the lead, but as I've been writing, I discovered that I'll need to play the tutorial again to do a little more "research", so to speak, and refresh my memory before I continue. However, I'm not able to do this because I'm unable to use my DS (let's just say it... isn't working). I'm going to be getting a new one, but that probably won't be until sometime in January (likely towards the beginning of the month). So, until then, I'm afraid to say that the adaptation will be on hold. For the current poll results, I'll just skip over the adaptation until the next update. Still, since these are special circumstances, I may decide to work on one of the stories that aren't leading excluding the adaptation, though I will make sure that it's a story that has at least one vote. After the next update, I'll remove the adaptation from the poll choices; it won't return until I get a working DS. I think I'm going to copy and paste this news entry into the next story I update/upload. Anyway... That's all I have to mention. Sorry for both the confusion, and for having to put this on hold.**_

… **Well, that pretty much says all of it. I did decide after all to do one of the stories that wasn't leading but had at least one vote. Well… Actually, I kind of worked on all of them; this was just the one that I finished first. But the poll results will be cleared after this as they would in normal circumstances. And… I think that's it. If I forgot something, just ask me. So, without further ado, here's the next chapter of **_**Braving the Storm**_**! :)**

Shu grimaced, making a noise in the back of his throat; he didn't know where he was or what had happened, but he _did_ know that whatever he was lying on felt extremely uncomfortable.

He opened his eyes slowly, finding his vision met by stony ground. Oddly enough, it only took that for him to realize where he was, and then remember everything that had happened. He shot upwards, but instantly regretted it - his head spun from doing it so fast, and everything ached (his head in particular).

Looking around further, the first thing he saw was the mechat - it laid on its side, smoking slightly from where it had been hit by the missile, but didn't look anymore damaged than that. When it had been put into its rightful position, it would probably be able to fly just fine.

Closest to the mechat were Marumaro and Zola, lying on the ground, unconscious, looking like they had only been tossed a short distance from their original positions. Farther away from them, and closer to Shu, were Jiro and Kluke - the two of them were also out cold.

Shu started dragging himself towards them. He just had to get to Jiro and Kluke... Then he would grab Marumaro and Zola, and then get all of them away from here... He didn't know where the Jumbo Mecha Robo had gone, but he certainly didn't want to stick around long enough to find out.

He ground his teeth together. Everything hurt... But it would be alright. He just had to get to Jiro and Kluke, and then everything would be alright-

It landed in between the two pairs of unconscious friends, and it made him absentmindedly thankful that they had been far enough apart. He found himself frozen in place suddenly, unable to move, barely even breathe.

It was all the time that the Jumbo Mecha Robo needed.

Moving just a tiny bit faster than its normal speed, it bent down and scooped up Jiro and Kluke.

Shu went numb for one second... two... And then such horrible pain in his heart, horrible enough to tear a scream from his throat, "_No_! ! !" Horrible enough to drag him to his feet despite his body's protests. "_Jiro_! ! _Kluke_! !" And then he started running, chasing it as the Mecha Robo started casually walking away, trying to go faster... Faster... He had to move _faster_...

Shu's shouting had woken up Zola, and she'd just now finished shaking off the remnants of unconsciousness. Seeing as Jiro and Kluke were absent, and who it was that Shu shouted for, it didn't take much for her to deduce what had happened. Quickly, she knelt by Marumaro and started shaking him awake...

Meanwhile, Shu didn't know how long he could keep going. If it were under normal circumstances, such a thing as keeping up with it wouldn't be a problem, but at the moment, he was far from perfect health. But, that thing had his friends... So he had to keep going.

"Shu!" He turned when he heard Zola yell his name; he saw that she dragged a half-asleep, half-awake Marumaro behind her.

"He took them! He took Kluke and Jiro-!"

"I know!" Zola interrupted him. "We have to try and stop it!"

Shu shook his head. "How? !" It wasn't the first time they'd chased it; they'd run after the Robo in the ice fields. But, if it hadn't jumped over that gorge, Shu honestly didn't know _how_ it would've ended, or how the chase would end now.

Before Zola could reply, Marumaro, who had finally snapped out of it, answered for her. "Doesn't matter right now! Can't let it get away!"

Shu had barely opened his mouth when Zola suddenly pointed upwards. "Look!"

At first, he only saw the sunlight reflecting off metal. But then, when he saw what it really was, he nearly stopped running.

War Mecha Robos, standing on the tops of the mountains. To be more exact, there were hundreds of them.

To be even _more_ exact, the hundreds of War Mecha Robos on top of the mountains that suddenly started jumping down - and if their angle was anything to go by, aiming straight for Shu, Marumaro and Zola.

"_Run_!" Zola swerved around, still holding Marumaro by the hand, heading back in the direction of the mechat - her plan was to get it flying again, and either retreat for now, or if it seemed like they could do it without dying, chase after the Jumbo Mecha Robo.

Shu, however, had other plans, and it wasn't until the massive army of War Mecha Robos had started landing that Zola realized he wasn't with them. She looked around quickly, searching with her eyes. "Shu! Shu, where are you? !"

He hadn't stopped running, had just kept going - if a War Mecha Robo got in his way, he simply ran around it, then put on an extra burst of speed to catch up with the Jumbo Mecha Robo. He didn't care if they tried to stop him - that thing had Jiro and Kluke, and _nothing_ would stop him from getting them back. _I won't lose her again, and I won't lose Jiro, either._

Zola swore, then turned and renewed her efforts of getting back to the mechat - there was no way to see past the throng of robots, and they would have her and Marumaro cornered if they stayed there too much longer. Besides, though they would have to set the ship down momentarily so he could board, they had a better chance of finding Shu once they were in the air.

Zola cried out as something smacked the back of her head; as she hit the ground, she heard Marumaro give a shout when he landed, and felt concern surge through her. She sat up, eyes closed against the pain of her throbbing head. "Marumaro, are you alright?"

"Maro thinks so..." He grimaced as he sat up. When he lifted his head- "Lady Zola!"

Zola opened her eyes, which widened immediately as she took in a sharp breath. _I took too long._

They were completely surrounded.

Marumaro scampered into Zola's arms. "Lady Zola..."

She held him as securely as the time that she'd caught him when he fell. "Don't worry. We'll get out of this somehow." Her voice came out surer than she felt.

After all, with an army of Mecha Robos as far as the eye could see, and no escape in sight, how exactly were they supposed to get away?

* * *

He wasn't entirely sure that this would work. He wasn't entirely sure what it would accomplish. He wasn't entirely sure if he was close enough.

But he knew that he had to try.

As soon as the Jumbo Mecha Robo finished taking a step, Shu closed his eyes and jumped for the foot.

He cried out a little as he smacked against the Robo, gritting his teeth, his whole body aching. His mouth tasted a little coppery, and somehow he doubted that it was because of the metal he had landed on.

The Mecha Robo took another step. It made his skull rattle, and the strain on his limbs was practically indescribable. But he would not, _could_ not, let go.

* * *

She moaned a little as she came to. What a horrible headache she had... But, the breeze felt nice...

_Breeze?_ Her eyes snapped open; her sight was met with the sides of rapidly passing mountains.

Head jerking upward in a hurry, she tried to move - and immediately met resistance. Looking down, she started to panic as she saw the large Mecha Robo fist closed around her.

She lifted her gaze again, trying desperately to find some way to escape. What she saw on her right nearly took her breath away. "Jiro! !"

His head was lying on the topmost finger of the fist, eyes closed in unconsciousness; if not for the dangerous situation, he almost could have been sleeping. She could see a very small tear in his sweater, the pale skin of his arm standing out against the dark fabric.

Kluke frantically started pushing against the fingers that had her trapped, not just for herself now, but for Jiro as well. She remembered when she'd been held captive by Nene, as much as she tried not to, and the thought that Jiro might go through the same things thing that she had... The horror, the dread that it filled her with was like nothing she had ever known. Jiro... She couldn't let Nene _do_ that to him.

But without the power of her Shadow, she wasn't even close to being strong enough. She tried for several moments, and then with a small scream, let herself slump over the edge of its grip. She saw the ground passing beneath her as she cried tears of frustration.

When the Robo put its left foot forward, she saw something surprising on it - colors. Yellow, red, and blue... And a dark color she was too far away to see, maybe black or dark brown...

It came to her almost immediately. "Shu..." Her eyes widened with the realization. "_Shu_! ! !"

Several moments passed, when she heard the faint echoing... "... Kluke...!"

"Shu! !" Relief hit her hard, but it was coupled with fear for his safety. She hoped she was yelling loud enough for him to hear her. "Shu, you have to let go! ! It's too dangerous; you'll kill yourself if you keep holding onto it! !"

Like before, it took a little bit before she heard his reply. When she did, it made her breath catch. "... I won't let him take you again...! I don't care what he does...! I won't give up...!"

Kluke let out a breath that was almost a sob. "Shu... You stupid, idiotic, courageous idiot..." Her hands balled into fists, metal scraping uncomfortably against her nails. She felt the pressure of tears again.

Suddenly, the fist tightened.

She cried out in fear, trying to breathe, and found that she was taking in less and less air with every breath. It was choking her.

Everything started to blur. She continued to struggle, but the mechanical hand wouldn't give.

As it all started getting dark, she thought of Shu and Jiro, prayed that they would be safe... She thought she might've said their names...

As her eyes slid shut, she thought she might've heard a familiar Ancient's whisper... _You have brought this on yourself..._

* * *

"Kluke! !" His voice had gotten hoarse by now, but that was the least of his worries.

He had shouted her name five times, maybe more, and she still had made no reply, no indication she had heard.

What if something had happened to her? What if the Jumbo Mecha Robo had done something to her? He tried not to listen to the what-if's, but they had been festering in his mind for minutes now, and he couldn't take it anymore.

He glared upwards before shouting, "Nene! ! Nene, I know you can hear me! !" Well, actually, he _didn't_ know that, but that wasn't the _point_... "Let Kluke and Jiro go! ! If you don't, as soon as this thing stops, I'll get them back after I tear this thing to shreds! ! I won't let you take them! !" He took in a deep breath. "_No matter what, I'll stop you_! ! !"

After the Mecha Robo's next step, it stopped.

Shu blinked his surprise; he hadn't expected it to listen to him.

It moved too fast for him to realize what was happening, and that was just another part of the problem - the speed of it was what made it so dangerous.

Quickly, incredibly quick, the foot reeled back before shooting forward, succeeding in flinging Shu off of it.

He had no time to brace himself against the impact - he hit the mountainside hard, hearing something crack and wondering if it had broken.

As he slid down, he started to lose consciousness; by the time he fell onto his back on the ground, his eyes were barely open.

Before they shut completely, he saw the Jumbo Mecha Robo bend towards him, its green face bathed in shadows.

* * *

When she finally started coming to, she groaned. Her body felt like it had been pounded with a meat tenderizer.

She sat up, hand pressed against her forehead. When her eyes opened halfway, they flew up the rest of the way when seeing that she was surrounded in darkness.

She swung her feet over the side of what she laid on - it had to be a bed - and quickly stood. She fought off the wave of dizziness that followed.

She looked around the room. "No..." It came out as little more than a whimper. She was terrified.

This room - either the same or a similar one - was just like the room that he had kept her prisoner in.

"Shu! !" From the way her voice reverberated, she could tell that it wasn't big, the walls and ceiling and floor close together. "Jiro! !"

Silence. She hadn't _really_ expected an answer, but it made her feel worse nonetheless.

Fortunately, though, her eyes had finally adjusted to the lightless room. There wasn't much to see, but she could take some small comfort in seeing her own feet whenever she took a step.

Several minutes passed where she did nothing but wander around the room, occasionally feeling the walls (they seemed to be made of some weird material she wasn't familiar with). She had come across a door, but ignored it for the most part - it was probably locked, and thinking about it wouldn't accomplish anything and only make her feel worse.

She thought of Shu, hanging on to the Jumbo Mecha Robo when it could crush him at any second, had maybe done so, or captured him. She thought of Jiro, unaware of everything that had happened due to his unconscious state, oblivious to the things that might be about to happen to him.

Nene had them, had her Shu, had her Jiro, and there was nothing Kluke could do to stop him.

She let out an enraged scream, a cry mixed with the agony of helplessness, and pounded her fist into the wall beside her.

She gasped.

She hadn't known it, but she had hit the door.

More importantly, when she had hit it, it had moved. Perhaps it had moved too much for it to be locked...

Tentatively, she took hold of the handle. She swallowed, shutting her eyes (though visually, that didn't change much). Filled with hope, she twisted her hand...

Light streamed in through the narrow space of the open door.

She moved it enough to let herself out, then quietly closed it behind her. She looked around the unfamiliar area. It had the atmosphere of all of the other places Nene had been, but it looked different.

She shook her head. It didn't matter. The important thing was finding Jiro and, though she hoped against the odds that he wasn't here, Shu, if he hadn't gotten away.

Kluke clenched her hand over her chest. She would find them and make sure they were safe. She would get them out of here.

And somewhere in-between it all, she would find Nene, and she would make sure he answered for this.

**Chapter 1 done! :D Like I mentioned once – or five – times now, I'm not feeling well, so… I don't really have anything else to say. I think I might've messed up this chapter in a few places, but I'll let you guys be the judge of that. If you can, please review and let me know what you thought of it. I'll try to do update after 10 hits, but the main thing that decides the next update/upload will be the poll on my profile. The poll results will be cleared after this chapter, so please vote again (or for the first time)! And that's everything; I'll (hopefully) see you soon! :)**


	3. Chapter 2: The Approaching Storm

**Wow, another update so soon. :D I couldn't help it; I really love writing this story. XD ****I'm a little short on time right now, so I'll just go ahead to the review replies now.**

**pepperdadog:** Thank you. :D And thanks for voting, too! :) Thank you; I'd been worried that it would be messed up because I wrote it while I was sick, so that's great to hear. :D Me too. XD Though as you said… Was it accident or on purpose? ;) That should be revealed fairly soon, though, and this chapter might even reveal it… There's a not-really-subtle hint in there. ;)

**Inita:** :) Yes, not including any minor ones (like the War Mecha Robos). I never really thought that the Jumbo Mecha Robo had been _truly_ defeated, and that's part of why I brought him in here again. You're welcome. :D Alright; thank you. :) And you're welcome again. :) Really? Glad to hear it. :D That's good; I always do my best to check it, but sometimes things slip… Oh… *blushes* Thanks. :D No, definitely not good… I hope so, too… She should find him soon, though. :) Maybe even _very_ soon… ;) (_Kluke: Oh, he is _definitely_ going to be hearing from _me_! …Jiro first, though. *smiles sheepishly*_) I think Kluke is more confident than I am about how that scene will come out… But I haven't even written it yet, so maybe it'll be better than I think. :)

**Okay; review replies are done! :D There isn't really much to say… Nothing's really changed since the last time I updated. And I don't have lot of time anyway, so… Read on and (hopefully) enjoy! :D**

Zola sighed, leaning back against the rocky wall behind her.

Earlier... That had been far too close.

* * *

"_Lady Zola, look!" Marumaro pointed to the ground beside her feet._

_There was a split in the rocky terrain... which seemed to be _moving apart_._

What now?_ Zola thought grimly, taking an instinctive step backwards. It seemed likely that it was just another part of this Mecha Robo ambush._

_And when a two-pronged hand rose out of the hole, it had seemed even more likely..._

_But then she saw the rest of the Mecha Robo._

_Marumaro almost leapt out of her arms in his happiness. "Yasato!"_

"_Quickly! Lady Zola, Master Marumaro, you must follow me, before it is too late!"_

"_We can't leave," Zola stood her ground. "Nene has taken Shu, Jiro and Kluke-"_

"_I know!" Yasato cut in. "But we cannot stay here much longer! If we do, they will overtake us, and then there will be no one to rescue Master Shu and the others! Please," he outstretched his hand. "We must leave now!"_

_Zola closed her eyes tightly, then opened them again, holding onto Yasato and letting him pull her and Marumaro out of harm's way._

* * *

That had been several hours ago now.

"Lady Zola..." Marumaro sat next to her on the rock. "Do you think Shu and the others are okay?"

She was silent for a moment, then reached out and placed a hand on his head. "I don't know, Marumaro." _I hope they are._

* * *

_I think I'm lost._ This was not the first time Kluke had thought this, and somehow, she doubted it would be the last.

Then again, it was hard to tell where you were when everything looked the same.

The only thing that looked different was the door she had initially come out of, being a slightly different shade than the other few that she passed.

It wasn't getting her down, though. Not after she'd made such a wonderful discovery.

She still had her Shadow.

She just didn't know _why_. If Nene hadn't taken them to steal their Shadows again, what could he possibly gain from this?...

Kluke shook her head. She'd figure it out later.

She stopped as something caught her eye. That door over there... It was a different color than the others...

Quickly running towards it, she paused with her hand on the handle. The reason this door looked different could mean that there was something dangerous behind it...

But she tightened her slackening grip. She was more than capable of handling whatever Nene had to throw at her. Right?

With that, she opened it.

* * *

Silence had reigned for the most part, until Yasato reappeared. He had urged them to follow him down the rock tunnel, which was what they were doing now.

"Yasato," Zola spoke. "You seem to know an awful lot about everything that's going on."

"I had heard Lord Nene's plans before I made my escape with the other Servant Mecha Robos," he explained. "I was hoping that I would be able to find you in time, but it seems that I was too late."

"Hey, Yasato," Marumaro piped up. "What _is_ this place anyway?"

"This is an old tunnel network that the Ancients used during their war. They would use it to either safely transport supplies, or to sneak up on the enemy."

"Such a war-worn world..." Zola murmured, mostly to herself. Louder, she said, "Yasato, do you know where Nene took our friends?"

"I do, but..."

"But what?" Zola prompted.

"It's very dangerous."

"That doesn't matter, though!" Marumaro hopped slightly. "We still gotta save them!"

Yasato made a sound like a sigh. "Yes... Yes, you're right." He stopped and turned towards them. "In that case, I suppose I should tell you about it..."

* * *

The room was pitch black. She had thought the room she'd awoken in had been dark, but this... It made her feel fortunate.

"There's no way I can search it without light, so..." She raised her hand above her head, palm up, then closed her eyes. She drew on the magic's power, only enough for what she needed; it was so small an amount that it couldn't even really be called a spell. She opened her eyes again just as the small flame appeared in the center of her hand. She brought it close to herself, having no fear in doing so - while it could be dangerous to someone else, the fire was incapable of harming her.

She brought the fire into the room; light leapt across the floor and up the walls.

When she looked to the center of the room, the flame almost went out, flickering as control over the magic slipped in her sudden shock.

Lying on the floor, very still, was Shu.

* * *

"How are we gonna fight _that_? !" Marumaro waved his fists in the air.

"He makes a very good point," Zola leaned back against the wall, arms folded. "Essentially, we're two people facing in army. Three counting you, Yasato, but you're not a Mecha Robo suited for combat. I wouldn't ask you to risk your life like that."

"But..." Yasato started.

"Yeah, Yasato!" Marumaro joined in. "Maro doesn't want you to get hurt, either!"

"Wait." Zola bolted forward suddenly, the idea hitting her suddenly. "Yasato, can you get us to the mechat?"

* * *

"_Shu_!" With a little scream, she threw herself down next to him, grabbing immediately for his wrist, flooded with relief when she found a pulse right away.

"Shu..." Much more quietly, she murmured his name over and over again, brushing her hands over his shirt, shoulder, face. _He's alive... Oh, thank God, he's alive..._ She didn't really know what she would do if he had joined her parents so prematurely.

She could hardly stand him not moving like this. He looked so fragile... It was hard to imagine with how much stronger he was nowadays, but when he'd been very young, he had been relatively frail...

Being asleep now, it was even more reminiscent of his childhood; his face was that picture of innocence that almost everyone seemed to take on when they slept.

She fisted his shirt in her hand, the movement almost involuntary in the sudden flash of anger she felt. If Nene had harmed him, or Jiro, she wouldn't rest until she made him pay.

A soft moan brought her back to the present. She looked down just as Shu's eyes fluttered open.

"Kluke..." Her name was a single breath out, filled with surprise and relief.

Tears stinging her eyes, she hauled him up into a hug, burying her head between his neck and shoulder. "Shu..."

After a few moments, they eventually pulled apart. He looked up into her eyes, searching. "Kluke... Are you alright?"

"I'll be okay," she nodded. "What about you?"

"I don't know..." He moved his arms around a little, wincing. "I think I might've broken something. Maybe a rib."

"You'd be doing a lot worse if you'd broken a rib," even as she said it, she had started checking him. "Does it hurt when you breathe?"

"Just a little." He flushed slightly when she started prodding him. "Mostly, everything just hurts really bad... And I'm kinda dizzy..." As if to further emphasize it, he put a hand to his head. "Okay, maybe _really_ dizzy..."

She dropped her hands. "Well... It doesn't _feel_ like it's broken. Could be a fracture, I guess..." Kluke shook her head. "What happened to you, anyway?"

"I was holding onto that dumb Mecha Robo, and then it kicked out its foot so it would toss me into the mountainside..." Suddenly, he took in a quick breath, eyes snapping open. "Jiro! Kluke, what happened to Jiro?" He looked around the room quickly.

"I've been looking for him, but I haven't found him yet. I was hoping he might be in here, actually..." She looked down. "I was hoping that I wouldn't find you at all, because that would've meant that you'd gotten away, but..."

"No way was I going to run!" Shu glared at her. "Not when Nene was going to take both of you to who knows where!" He reached out, laying his hand over hers. "I can't lose you guys... Either of you... I'd never be able to live with myself."

Kluke swallowed past a lump in her throat. "Shu..."

His hand retreated back to his side. "Come on, Kluke, we should get out of here. I want to find Jiro and make sure he's okay."

"You're right," she stood, then brushed down her skirt before offering him a hand up. "Here."

"Thanks." He took it and pulled himself upright; as soon as he stood on his feet, he grimaced. "Oh, that hurts..."

"Shu, you should use some White Magic; it should take away at least some of the pain. I mean, I'd use it, but yours is much stronger-"

"Wow, wait; hang on a second." Shu held up a hand, looking at her incredulously. "We still have our Shadows?"

She nodded. "I don't know why, but we do."

"But..." His eyebrows furrowed. "What does Nene want with us then? Sure, he wants to pretty much destroy us, but why go through all the trouble of capturing us when he could just send some powerful Mecha Robo or fight us himself?"

"I don't know. I've been trying to figure that out since I woke up. We should figure it out later, though," Kluke took a step towards the doorway. "I'm worried about Jiro, too."

"Alright. Hang on." He summoned his Shadow; the Dragon roared upon appearing before healing Shu. After the Shadow had unsummoned, he gave a quick nod towards Kluke. "Let's go."

* * *

"Lady Zola, I'm not sure this is such a good idea-"

"Lady Zola came up with it, so it's gotta be a good idea!" Marumaro interrupted Yasato.

"Come on, Marumaro," she took him by the hand, pulling him towards the tunnel exit. Her eyes fell on the Mecha Robo behind them. "Thank you, Yasato, for helping us. I don't think we would have made it out otherwise."

"I was glad to be of service," Yasato inclined his head slightly. "Please be careful. And please... Please rescue Master Shu and his friends."

"We will. And you be careful, too." She looked down at her smaller companion. "Let's go, Marumaro!"

"Gotcha!" Marumaro raised a finger above his head.

With that, the two of them ran out of the tunnel and into the sunlight. Marumaro stopped to wave at Yasato, who returned it, before following after Zola again, their destination being the overturned mechat.

* * *

"I hate this place." Shu groaned.

Kluke tried to ignore how her feet were hurting from walking around so much. "You and me both."

The place was practically a maze.

They had been walking for at least a half hour without finding _anything_ that looked different. For all they knew, they were going in circles.

After a few minutes had passed with no change, something occurred to Kluke. "Hey, Shu... Do you know what happened to Zola and Marumaro?"

"Not exactly. We followed the Jumbo Mecha Robo when it took you and Jiro, but then a bunch of War Mecha Robos ambushed us. There must've been hundreds of them... Anyway, Zola and Marumaro ran, but I kept going-"

"You _left_ them?" Kluke shot him a look, but he was keeping his gaze carefully away from her.

"Zola can handle herself just fine," Shu answered defensively. "And she wouldn't let anything happen to Marumaro. Besides, I already told you, I wasn't just going to let Nene kidnap you and Jiro without doing anything about it-"

"Shu." Kluke stopped walking, and the tone in her voice made Shu still as well. "Up ahead... Is that what I think it is?"

Shu looked at it... And then, the Ancient Hospital Ruins coming to mind, a grin blossomed across his face as he started running towards it. "Elevator doors!"

Kluke rolled her eyes at his exuberance before following after him.

Both of them stopped, startled, a few feet away from it when the doors suddenly opened.

Shu slowly looked over at Kluke. "The ones in the Hospital Ruins didn't do that... did they?"

She shook her head. "No... But maybe these are just different."

"Hey, look," he pointed to the wall to the right of the elevator doors. "There's no button, either."

Kluke forced a smile; she didn't like this one bit, but thought that she was probably just overreacting. "See? These are just different, that's all."

"Well..." Shu kicked at the ground. "If you say so, I guess."

"Yeah," she nodded, mostly to herself, before taking him by the arm and leading him towards the open doors. "I mean, it has to be better than staying in this maze of a place, right?" They passed through the doorway.

Shu brightened. "That's true-"

Both of them gasped as the doors closed behind them.

Shu turned to her anxiously. "Is that supposed to happen?"

Kluke shrugged helplessly. "I have no idea - _you're_ the mechat expert!"

His expression turned exasperated. "A mechat isn't an elevator!"

The two of them yelped, barely catching their balance, as the elevator started moving with a harsh jerk.

Shu caught sight of a panel on the side, moving closer to get a better look. "This must show us where we're going... It's different than what was in the Ruins, but it has similarities." He turned towards her again. "I don't know how far it's going, but it looks like it's taking us up."

Kluke let out an annoyed sigh. "Well, this is just _great_..."

Shu smirked. "Better than the maze, right?"

Kluke only glared at him.

* * *

"Marumaro, you have to hurry!" Zola barely dodged some ammunition fired by a War Mecha Robo, quickly regaining her footing and using a Watera Sword on the same offender.

"Maro's almost got it!" Marumaro grunted with the effort, trying to push the mechat upright with Saber Tiger.

Things had been going well before - they'd almost made it to the mechat - and then the War Mecha Robos saw them. Zola had thought she would be able to hold them off better, so she'd instructed Marumaro to start pushing the ship into its correct position.

It hadn't actually been a very long time since the attack had started, but for Zola, every minute was far too long. She didn't say anything to Marumaro about it because she didn't want to worry him, but she honestly didn't know if she'd be able to keep them back. Every time she destroyed one of the robots, it seemed like there was another to take its place - meaning that their stamina would be practically unlimited, while she continued to tire with every passing moment.

There was a creaking sound, followed by a louder one, one that Zola recognized from whenever the mechat landed.

Marumaro peaked around the now-righted mechat, giving her a thumbs up. "Maro did it!"

* * *

After it had gone up about four floors, the elevator stopped, shaking just as badly as before.

Shu pushed himself off of the wall he'd used to catch himself. "I _really_ wish it would stop doing that."

Kluke adjusted her ribbon. "Nene is probably doing it, just to goad us."

Just then, the doors slid open, and both went silent as they took in their new surroundings.

It was a hallway, curving to the right about five feet away from the elevator entrance. The floor and ceiling were made of a pale material, a cross between white and something else. The things that caught their attention, though, were the almost-floor-to-ceiling windows on either side, bathing the ground in sunlight.

"Come on, Kluke," Shu took her by the hand before she could protest. "I bet we can see where we are from here!"

They pressed their hands against the window, gazing down at the landscape below them. "It's..." Kluke started. "It's the sea..."

"There're some mountains, too," Shu gestured to them. "They look like they're covered in snow."

"Could we be near Noluta Village?" Kluke wondered.

"Maybe," Shu amended. "But there were a few areas we've been to with snow; it could be one of those, or maybe even someplace we haven't been to."

Kluke sighed. "Wherever we are, it isn't the Lal Mountains."

"We'll worry about getting back there later," Shu pulled away from the window. "First, we've gotta get out of here. And before that, we need to find Jiro."

"Right. Let's go."

The two continued down the hall, not finding much else of interest. The path continued to curve in the same direction, nothing but windows on the left or right. The view held little more than water and snowy mountaintops, so after a while, they didn't bother to look.

Eventually, they came to a door.

"Shu," she stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "I... I don't why, but I have a bad feeling about going through this one."

"We've gotta go through, though," Shu shrugged. "It's not like we can go back."

"I... I guess you're right." Kluke let him go. "Sorry; go ahead."

Shu flashed a brief smile, trying to be reassuring, then reached out his hand toward the door...

It slid open before he even touched it.

"Everything is so _weird_ in this place..." Shu muttered under his breath before going through the doorway, Kluke right beside him.

The room was unfamiliar and familiar at the same time - it looked different, but its decorations...

Bejeweled statues of angels.

Just like in the room that Nene had stolen their Shadows.

"Shu," Kluke whispered, feeling an icy chill take hold of her. "I think we should go back."

The doors closed behind them.

Shu swore colorfully under his breath. Louder, but still in a low tone, he added, "We're in for it now..."

"You have not had any challenges since I brought you here," a voice spoke, a voice they knew well, "until now."

"Until now!"

From behind a red, velvet curtain hanging on the wall, out stepped Nene, Deathroy perched on his shoulder. He had only taken a few steps, when he looked at them, an almost predatory smirk on his face.

Shu rushed in front of Kluke, taking up a defensive position. _If he wants her, he has to go through me first._

Nene spoke again. "We'll just have to see how well you will do."

Deathroy pointed at them. "How well! How well!"

With that, Nene looked behind him and nodded. Shu and Kluke were perplexed only for a moment.

Someone else came out from behind the curtain, coming to stand beside Nene. Szabo.

And in his arms, with eyes shut, was Jiro.

**Yes; another chapter done! :D That turned out much better than I had thought, actually… I'm still worried about parts of it, but overall, I'm pretty pleased with how it went. :) Next chapter we'll be getting to some of the scenes I've wanted to write out since the beginning, so I'm **_**very**_** much looking forward to writing it. ;) Anyway, if you're able to, please review. :) I'll try to update after 10 hits, but as I've been saying, the real thing that will decide the next update or upload is the poll on my profile. The poll results will be cleared, so please vote again (or for the first time) if you can! :) And… that's all that I've got to mention. See you soon! :D**


	4. Chapter 3: Chasing Clouds

**Alright; finally got this uploaded. :) I'd expected it to be done sooner, but… I've had a lot going on the past few days. For the same reason, my author's notes are going to be very short this time. I'm sorry. But, before getting to the story, I'll do the review replies.**

**Inita:** I know what you mean; the first time I did it, I bumped into quite a few. XD The second time I was more used to it, so it wasn't so bad. Oh, boy; I hate when that happens. XP I don't _think_ anyone got knocked out when I went through… If anyone, maybe Marumaro… I don't remember, but anyway…Yeah; it was for me, too. :) Yes… He's my favorite, too (in the game, anyway, though he's still my second/third favorite in the anime). XD Oh, um, about that… *embarrassed flush* I'm sorry; the chapter kind of took a different turn from what I'd planned (at least with some of the conversation) so it… didn't quite come out the way I'd hoped. But, hopefully it'll still be okay… Oh… Well, it's kind of a hassle; I've got to write down all of the dialogue, every movement, every time the music starts or stops and which song it is in the first place… For me, at least, it's hard to do with a game that moves that fast (I blanch to think of what it'll be like once I get past the tutorial, but I've already resolved to handle that when the time comes). There are parts of it that I just need to see myself, because seeing everything that's happening will help with adding in all of the additional thoughts and descriptions and such… But, through all of that confusing gibberish, if there's anything you'd like to do, the help is welcome (though you don't have to unless you want to). :) Also, if you think it would help, I can send you the notes and dialogue I already have typed up so you can see where I left off; it's probably easiest to use the DocX system this site has, since it's more suited for documents than PMs. No problem. :) Oh, and thank you for voting! :D Anyway… Yeah; the scenes with Yasato were originally going to be there, though when I started the prologue I had decided to take them out. As you saw, I changed my mind again. XD *breath of relief* Thank goodness; I'm not used to writing Yasato, so I was pretty worried that he would be out of character. *blushes* Thank you. :D Glad to hear it; I hadn't been as worried about the others as I was Yasato, but, well… It's _me_, so I was still worried. XD Yep; it is. :D Me, too (though I think he might still be a little sore). Yes; so close and yet so far. XP Looks like I'm still doing my job right, though. XD Thank you, and I'm sorry for the wait; it would've been done much sooner, but… I had a lot going on the past few days… But, it's finally here; enjoy. :)

**WindGoddess Rune:** Thank you. :D And thank you again; I am feeling better, but… As I said before, I had a bunch of stuff going on.

**pepperdadog:** I know. :( Hopefully Shu and Kluke will be able to get him away from Nene soon…

**Shadow Koopa:** Glad you got the chance to read it. :D Oh… Sorry. *embarrassed flush* I would cut down, but cliffhangers are a major part of this story… I'll try to hurry with the next chapter, though; it shouldn't be too much longer now.

**And the review replies are done. :) There's nothing that I really have to mention, so… Here's chapter three! :D**

Without a second thought, Shu rushed forward. "_Jiro_! !"

"Shu, _don't_!" Kluke reached for him, failing to grab hold, the tips of her fingers brushing against his waistcloth.

The familiar crackle of lightning had surrounded Shu, just like it would before he summoned the Dragon-

He cried out, almost as if he were in pain, coming to a complete stop. His arms had fallen to his sides, hands spread out. Different electricity bolts, the yellow and paralyzing kind, surrounded his body from head to toe. "I..." He had difficulty speaking. "I can't move..."

Kluke noticed then what Shu hadn't - a circular, brownish part of the floor with symbols of the Ancient language on it. She didn't know what it said, but she'd give three guesses that it was what had paralyzed him.

She looked up at the sound of Nene's scoff. "Really, now," he shook his head. "I expected you to do better than _that_. Such a reckless little fool."

"Little fool! Little fool!" Deathroy cackled.

Kluke, cautious of the brown circle of ground, came as close as she could without stepping on it. She reached towards him a little. "Shu..."

"Don't," he strained. "If you touch me... I think you'll get stuck, too..."

She bit her lip, shutting her eyes tight. If only she knew more White Magic... She could only cast a Cure Poison spell on a _good_ day; a stronger spell like Cure Paralysis was out of her league. All of their supplies were gone, probably with Zola and Marumaro, meaning she had no Mobility Balm to use. And medical knowledge didn't help with status effects, not of this variety.

"Kluke..." Shu broke her out of her troubled thoughts. "You have to get to Jiro..."

"What?" She looked at him disbelievingly. "I can't leave you like _this_!"

"You have to," he ground his teeth together. "We have to get Jiro away from Nene... before he does anything..."

_Like whatever it was he did to you._ Not wanting to upset her, Shu hadn't spoken the words aloud. But they still hung in the air all the same.

"I'm sorry," Kluke started. "I wish there was something I could do-"

"It's okay," Shu closed his eyes. "Just help Jiro. I'll be fine."

Kluke looked at him regretfully for a few moments, then gave a quick nod, starting towards Nene, keeping an eye out for any parts of the floor that looked strange. There didn't seem to be any, though; Shu had just had the misfortune of stepping on the only one.

Just a few more steps; she wasn't too far away from Nene now-

"I wouldn't come any closer, if I were you," the Ancient held up a hand. "We wouldn't anything to happen to one of your little friends, now, would we?"

"Would we? Would we?"

It felt like a fist had closed around her heart. "Why are you doing this?" Kluke wished she could make her voice stop hitching; at the least, sound not so upset. She hated sounding that way in front of Nene. "Why are we still alive? We still have our Shadows, so what are you trying to do?"

He chuckled. "You could say that I'm tying up a few loose ends."

"Loose ends!"

_What's _that_ supposed to mean?_ "I'm guessing that you won't let Jiro go." If she could just move for a second... That would probably be enough time to summon her Shadow...

He smiled in what would have been a genial way, if not for the hostility in his eyes. "Why, of course not. I can't believe you would ask such a foolish question."

"Foolish question!" Deathroy pointed at her.

"Besides," Nene continued. "He's a much better prisoner than you ever were. I haven't been at it with him very long - just a few mind games, which I'm _sure_ you remember - but he's ever so much easier to break than you were."

"Easier to break!"

She felt faint. The edges of her vision were blurring. But she was too enraged to care. It took all of a strength she didn't even know she had to keep herself from flinging herself at Nene with hands and feet swinging. "_What did you do to Jiro_?"

"Oh, nothing much," Nene smirked cruelly. "Yet."

"Yet! Yet!"

Kluke's hands closed into fists. She could feel her nails digging into her palms, but her anger overrode most of the pain. She saw flashes of nightmares, nightmares of Nene, in her mind's eye. "You're a monster." The words came out as a bitter whisper.

"It's a shame, really," Nene talked as if Kluke had said nothing at all. "That you came so quickly, I mean. You have a quite an intriguing friend. Almost all of the beings that now call this world home are nothing compared to my people. A fall from greatness, you could say. But, this boy - he has surprised me," he looked towards Jiro. "His intelligence surpasses that of any human I have ever encountered. He isn't quite there, but he actually comes close to being my peer."

"His peer! His peer!"

"Your... peer?" Kluke faltered, having trouble twisting her mind around this fact. "_That's_ what you brought us here for?" She grew more incensed as she spoke. "Because you, apparently, see him as a _peer_? You did all of this for _that_? !"

"Not the only reason, no, nor the main one," Nene looked at her disdainfully. "I had no idea about how smart he was until I'd already captured the three of you." He shrugged nonchalantly. "I like to call it a happy coincidence."

"Happy coincidence!" Deathroy tilted his head from side to side with each syllable.

Kluke glared daggers at him. "I'll tell you what you can call it."

Nene's sudden grin was manic. "Such fire. We shall see how much you still have by the end." He clapped his hands together. "But, come - I promised you a challenge, and it's time for me to deliver."

Deathroy jabbed a finger at Kluke. "To deliver!"

Kluke took an instinctive step backwards. _This can't possibly be good._

Nene reached out to his side, his hand going behind the curtain. She thought she heard something click.

The strangled shout came from behind her. Shu. "Kluke, get out of there! !"

Her mind and body moved automatically - she threw herself to the ground, several feet away from where she'd been, inadvertently scrapping her knee in the process, just as she heard a crash from behind her. When she turned to look, she gasped.

It was that... thing, the one that had tried to crush Shu before they escaped from Nene. She caught sight of the ground where it had landed - it had practically become a crater, the indentation several inches deep and covered in tiny fissures.

She couldn't see Nene anymore, but though it was fainter, she could still hear his voice. "If you wish to have this boy back, then you must earn him. Do not delay, though; I will only give you so long to defeat the Squishtrich before it will be too late to save him. We shall return when, or if, you manage to succeed. Good luck, my dear," it sounded little more than an echo now, "for with none of your dearest protectors to keep you safe, you will surely need it."

Deathroy's cackle was distant, but still audible. Considering how mocking it sounded under the circumstances, Kluke more than wished that she hadn't heard it at all.

The bird-like Mecha Robo took a lumbering step toward her, swaying a bit. She remembered, albeit vaguely, that Nene had been piloting it before - but there was no one in the cockpit now. _He must be controlling it from somewhere else..._ Kluke's eyes widened with a thought. _If I can get to the thing that controls it... Maybe I can turn it off!_

She yelped, dodging as it stomped where she had been moments before. Whatever she did, she needed to do it fast - she could use her Black Magic on this thing, which would probably do significant damage, but her chances of success were only so high without anyone else to help her. _I'm only one person fighting against something that's five, six times my size, or _more_, for goodness' sakes..._

She hauled herself to her feet, gasping for breath - she doubted she'd be able to outrun it, but it had to be better than staying in the same spot.

"_Kluke_!" She could hear the agony in Shu's voice, and immediately thought of how it horrible it must be for him; all he could do was watch as the thing tried to crush her, unable to do anything at all to help-

A sudden, alarming thought occurred to her. _Shu can't move._ Which made him a perfect target for the Squishtrich.

As if the Mecha Robo had heard what she was thinking, it made an abrupt swerve to the left, heading straight for Shu.

Kluke reached towards them. "No! !" _I have to do something, I have to do something...! Come on - think, think, _think_-! !_ Her panicked thoughts stopped. _Wait! That's it!_

Hoping that she would be on time, Kluke quickly summoned Phoenix, setting off a Winda spell just as the Squishtrich's foot prepared to flatten Shu.

The Wind-element attack hit the desired target - the spell forcefully pushed its foot to the side, causing it to hit the floor next to Shu rather than him. The force of it, however, threw him to the ground.

"Shu! !" Kluke ran towards him, falling into a crouch next to where he lay, her knee stinging when it touched the ground.

"Kluke!" He started moving up - then stopped, looking down at himself in wonder. "Hey... I can move..."

Kluke's eyes darted to the spot where he'd been moments before. The brown circle had cracked into pieces from the force of the Squishtrich, the tiles broken and scattered. "I think the bird-thing broke the part of the floor that paralyzed you."

"Heh!" He sat up the rest of the way, grinning, rubbing his nose. "That'll teach Nene!"

Kluke rolled her eyes, though only half-heartedly; she felt too relieved that Shu was okay to be truly annoyed with him. "Come on, Shu-" She cut off as she shouted when Shu suddenly pushed her out of the way, the Squishtrich stomping the ground where they'd been.

Shu helped her sit forward. "You alright?"

"I'm fine." She stood, never taking her eyes off of the Squishtrich. "We have to hurry and destroy this thing. We- we have to get to Jiro."

"Right!" He looked toward it determinedly. "This thing's going down-!"

Kluke held him back by the shoulder. "Hold it, Shu. Let me try something first." She had only thought of it a second ago, and wasn't really sure it would work... But it had to be worth a try. She stood in front of Shu, then brought out Phoenix. She looked over at him. "If this works, be ready to use a Watera Sword; this thing is a Mecha Robo, so any Water-element attacks would probably be the most effective."

With that, she turned back toward the Squishtrich, then began charging the magic - not for long, only five seconds at the most. And then lifting her arms over her head, with something akin to a battle cry, she brought them down again, a motion that was a cross between pushing and striking.

The earth erupted from the floor, wounding the Mecha Robo bird. In addition, it made the ground uneven, meaning that the Squishtrich was unable to find proper footing; as soon as the Grounda spell had ceased, the Squishtrich sunk to its knees.

Kluke snapped her head around, her hair momentarily obscuring her eyes as it swirled around. "Now, Shu! !"

Shu sprung into action, dashing past her almost faster than she could see - before Kluke knew it, the Dragon had slammed the Watera Sword against the Squishtrich's side.

The Mecha Robo started getting up again. Kluke moved forward, intending to unleash another attack, but yelped when she tripped on something.

Propping herself up with her hands, head aching painfully, she saw that the offender was a piece of that circular paralyzing tile. She heard Shu shout her name, and looked up just in time to see the Squishtrich lift its foot over her.

She let out a startled shout as something, something small and familiar, shoved her out of the way. She rolled around and around a few times, finally coming to a stop on her side. When she turned around to see what had happened, she saw that the Squishtrich's foot had come down, didn't see Shu anywhere, and with a dawning horror realized what had happened.

At least, she thought she knew what had happened - until the Squishtrich foot started moving upwards.

It came up the rest of the way, Shu's Shadow pushing it up and off - he stood, straining yet unharmed. "Kluke!" He called to her over his shoulder. "Use another Grounda!"

"O-oh, right," she blinked, stunned that he was okay, almost dizzy with her relief. Snapping out of it more, she repeated the motion from before, aiming the spell entirely for the foot that wasn't trying to crush Shu. "_There_!"

It worked like a charm - with only one foot on the floor for balance, as soon as the attack had done most of its damage, the Squishtrich toppled over. It hit the floor with a crash, unmoving and sparking.

After several moments had passed without the Squishtrich making a move, Shu unsummoned the Dragon and moved closer; once next to it, he kicked its stomach. "I don't think it's _technically_ broken... But it's out of commission, at least, and that's close enough." He nodded, seemingly a little to himself, then looked towards Kluke. "Come on; let's see if we can find where Nene took Jiro."

Once they'd collected themselves a little, they headed towards the curtain that Nene had appeared from. Shu pulled it aside, first revealing a panel with several differently colored and shaped buttons, and second, after moving the red velvet a little more, a doorway. The way ahead lay in shadow, though from the light in the room they were in, they could see the glint of a silvery staircase.

Shu poked his head through, craning his neck upward. The top was just as dark as it was down where they were, if not darker, even. "This must be the way Nene went."

"I'll go first, Shu." Kluke came to stand next to him, then called on the magic again to create a flame in the center of her palm. She held her hand outward, letting the fire bathe the staircase in a warm glow.

After going up several steps, they discovered that the staircase to be a spiral one. And, also, that it was long.

"Shu..." Kluke started after a while. "Do you _really_ think Nene went this way?"

"Where else could he have gone?" Shu answered tiredly. "I didn't see anything else behind that curtain except for a bunch of weird buttons."

Kluke stopped walking, shooting him a lidded-eye look. "Did it occur to you," she said slowly, "that maybe one of those buttons took him someplace else?"

Shu blinked a few times, looking thoughtful, then abruptly blanched. "Oh... Oh no."

"Come on," Kluke shook her head, already moving again. "We came this far, so we might as well see where it goes. If nothing else, maybe something up there will give us a clue to where Nene might've gone."

They went on like that for a while, not speaking for the most part. Neither really had anything to say, and both were caught up in worries about whether Jiro was alright or not. They were also trying to ignore the likelihood that he wouldn't be.

When they saw the light of another doorway above them, they quickened their pace - not exactly fast, but not slow, either; a kind of hasty caution. After all, they couldn't help Jiro if they got stuck in a trap.

After climbing several more turns, they finally stepped out into the light...

The room was reminiscent of the docking bay of Nene's Fortress. It had the same metal floors with lines and screws, the pipes going up the wall and curving every which way, the odd machinery that neither Shu or Kluke knew what it did and which Jiro only _might_ know (he had been with them back then, though). However, the open part of the room had no place for mechats to dock, none of the platforms; it seemed to be only an open, wall-less space, perhaps meant for viewing the world below.

Outside looked like a mess of white clouds that very rarely allowed some blue to peek through. It had either become overcast, or they were very high up. Still, it certainly _felt_ overcast - the temperature of the room was freezing. The two of them half-expected to see ice forming somewhere.

Shu and Kluke took some tentative steps inside, and discovered something about the open area that they hadn't before; where the flooring ended, there appeared to be what looked like a handful of broken struts, dangling over the side precariously. They looked unstable, and in some strange way, made the room seem almost emptier.

But as they found out in their next, almost immediate discovery, the room was not empty. Not empty at all.

Two figures stood close to the edge, the wind blowing the clothes of one.

Nene, with Deathroy perched on his shoulder. A War Mecha Robo, with Jiro in the hands raised over its head.

Kluke and Shu shot forward, both shouting. "Jiro! ! !"

Nene tilted his head towards them, his smirk a mixture of cruelty and amusement. "You did a very good job, handling the Mecha Robo the way you did," he drawled, "but I'm afraid to say that you took a little too long."

Deathroy laughed, turning the mimicking into a mocking singsong. "Little too long! Little too long!"

And finally, finally, Jiro opened his eyes. The corners were slightly red, as if he'd been crying, long and hard. He focused blearily on his friends. "Shu... Kluke..." Their names were hoarse whispers almost carried off by the whistling wind.

In the back of his mind, Shu thought that Nene surely must have done this to hurt him personally - the way the Mecha Robo held Jiro was the same exact way the other one had held Kluke before tossing her off from where it stood.

And just like that time, Nene brought his hand down in a signal.

Jiro's eyes widened, as if he'd realized just then what was about to happen, right as the Mecha Robo threw him toward the cloud-filled sky.

**…** **And the chapter's done! I hope that wasn't too bad of a place to leave it… I couldn't really write the next part, because it would've made this chapter **_**too**_** long. Somehow this seemed shorter to me, but the word count is around the same as last chapter, so… Also, I apologize to readers of **_**Blue Dragon Beyond**_** if bringing in the Squishtrich was too repetitive; I couldn't bring in the Jumbo Mecha Robo (yet), and nothing else seemed formidable enough. Though the events in **_**Beyond**_** never took place in **_**Braving the Storm**_**, so… Anyway, if you can, please review. I'll try to update after 10 hits, but the main thing that decides the next update/upload is the poll on my profile. The poll results will be cleared, so please remember to vote again (or vote for the first time). See you soon! :)**


	5. Chapter 4: Cirrostratus

**Yes – finally got this next chapter up! :D I had been working on **_**Blue Dragon Beyond**_**, but… A very good friend gave me some much needed encouragement, so it spurred me to finish this next chapter. :) I had been working on this before anyway, but had gotten stuck, so… Anyway, this would have been finished last Thursday (not yesterday, Thursday a week ago), but my dad was in the hospital from late Thursday night until Monday afternoon. He had been pretty sick, but is doing better now… Also, my computer had a serious issue – I don't really know how to describe it… - and had to be turned off. I finally got it working yesterday. The past few days I've just been trying to get myself together amidst all the hectic events, so I didn't have any time to write, and that's why this chapter took as long as it did. In addition, I think I may be coming down with a cold, though I'm not certain yet. But I'm kind of getting off track now; time for the review replies. ;)**

**Inita:** Ah… Speaking of that, I think it might take me longer to get that new DS; something unexpected happened since then, so it will be more difficult to buy it now. Oh… Actually, I don't know much about it, either. XD I know that it's kind of a way to exchange documents between users, and is primarily used by beta readers to make changes and corrections in documents. There's more to it, I think, but I don't know anymore about it. :P It's okay. :) Ah. :D I do, too; all the time. XD I thought it would be pretty characteristic of him to react that way, so that's why I did it… Yeah; I would, too. Yes… *sad sigh* I know; that bothered me for the longest time, and still bothers me. It was bad enough to give Kluke terrible nightmares, but we never get any other information other than that, it seems. I've chosen to kind of make implications and brief flashbacks about it, mostly because I couldn't think of anything truly plausible. Yes, I know _exactly_ what you mean; I've lamented about that myself numerous times. Glad to hear it; I thought that would be something he'd say, too. Really? That's great; I didn't think it had turned out that good. :D Thanks! :) (_Shu: You're telling me! Who comes up with this stuff?_) (_Er…_) You should find that out pretty soon. ;) Thank you; sorry it took so long, but it's finally here. :D

**Ultimashadow:** Don't worry, don't worry! It's okay; I don't mind. :) Thank you. :D I'm confusing or "reply to reply" is confusing? Er… Maybe that's why it's confusing in the first place. XD R-really? *blushes* Wow… I didn't think I was all that good, but you and others tell me that often, so maybe I'm better than I think I am. *more blushing* :D Yes, still (I'm sorry!); I think it's just something that I have to work on. O-o-o-oh… *feels mixture of emotions, mostly embarrassment* Ultimashadow, y-you didn't have to do that… R-r-really… H-hey! *flustered* Y-you're trying to embarrass me, aren't you…? It was indeed. Don't worry; whenever you guess with my stories, you're usually right. ;) Thanks! :D Doubting myself _less_, anyway. XD I think I'm getting better, though. :) That's a good way to describe it. XD He can be, though I have a feeling a lot of it is just recklessness and naivety… True. :) Quite mad. ;) Her showdown with Nene kind of had an unintentional damper put on it… Or so I had thought; I think I might be able to work something out for later. ;) Shh; there might be people who haven't finished the game reading! (XD XD) Thank you! :D Aw, thanks… *blushes again* Oh, that's alright; mine acts up a lot, too. Knowing that you enjoyed it is enough. :) Thanks! XD I'm kind of embarrassed saying so, but I actually agree – but that's because I'm continuingly reading my previous chapters, as well as trying to expand my vocabulary, so I'm able to improve my writing and make a better chapter. Or that's what I try to do, anyway. XD Actually, it's chapter four (I know, the site is calling it five; it gets terribly confusing when I'm putting in the chapter titles, especially for _Blue Dragon Beyond_)… But I think it should be pretty good; one of the main plot points, most likely the biggest one, will come to light this chapter. *blushes* Thank you. :D W-well, I don't know if I'm better than anyone else… I will say that I'm doing a lot better than I thought I would when I joined about a year ago. I've really liked what you and everyone else have written, though; it's been wonderful. :) Ooh; sounds fun! :D See you! And Merry Christmas (though belated)! :)

**pepperdadog:** I know! XP Yeah, he would've been able to get rid of that paralysis easy (though if he could've moved, Shu could have done it himself, since in my game I had him levelled up pretty high in the White Magic class, and I'm using that here in _Braving the Storm_). Thanks! :D It was just one of those things that hit me suddenly. (_Kluke: We had a talk about that, and he said he'd try to remember. You _are_ going to try to remember, right, Shu?_) (_Shu: Um… What am I remembering again?_) (_Kluke: … *smacks forehead*_)

… **And review replies are done! :) I can't really think of much else to say… Oh! I think there's something I forgot to let everyone know about. Ikai no Kyojuu has been given a new English title – Awakened Shadow, which will be the name it's released under outside of Japan. Keep in mind that this is nowhere near an accurate translation; it's been given a new name entirely. I don't really mind, though, which surprised me; I still prefer Ikai no Kyojuu as the name, probably because I'm more used to it, but I think Awakened Shadow has a nice ring to it. :) That's just me, though. Anyway, I think that's everything I need to mention. Read on! :D**

_Jiro, Jiro, Jiro..._ His name repeated in her head over and over, pounding in time with and almost as loudly as the blood that pounded in her ears.

Since she had shouted Jiro's name, Kluke had been unable to move, unable to do anything but look on in horrified silence.

Then the Mecha Robo threw him, threw her best friend, threw _her Jiro_, out toward the sky.

And then she saw what she hadn't before - Shu had sprung into action several important seconds prior, and when Jiro was tossed over the edge, Shu pitched himself right after him.

* * *

When he'd jumped after Jiro, Shu hadn't had any thought of safety, of what would come next. The only thing he could think about was that he _had_ to get to Jiro, _had_ to save him. At that moment, "what would come next" didn't matter at all.

Shu grabbed Jiro's wrist firmly, just as his midsection slammed into one of those struts.

... If his ribs weren't broken before, Shu thought, that probably did it.

But his hold on his friend's wrist didn't waver. Shu didn't know how he would get himself or Jiro back up onto normal flooring, but, especially after seeing his best friend's eyes snap open completely, he did know that he wouldn't be letting go anytime soon.

* * *

Jiro was terrified. Utterly, absolutely, completely _terrified_.

Just not for himself.

"Shu!" He shouted hoarsely, genuinely surprised that he had enough strength to do even that. "Shu, let go! !"

"No!" Shu yelled back, steadfastly stubborn, the same kind of stubbornness that he usually used when refusing to eat vegetables. In other circumstances, Jiro might have found it humorous.

But he didn't now. "Shu, you have to let go of me," he pleaded. "If you don't, we'll _both_ fall."

"I don't care!" Even as he said this, against his will, Shu's hold slipped a fraction. "I'm not letting go of you!"

Just then, the strut gave a terrible, groaning creak; both boys cried out as its height dropped a few inches, trembling with the effort of supporting them.

"Shu..." Jiro's voice came out as a miserable whisper; his eyes stung, and it wasn't from the biting wind.

He was going to die - but to him, far worse than that, he was going to bring Shu with him.

* * *

At the sound of screeching metal, Kluke finally snapped out of it - she sprinted towards where the floor ended, towards the strut where she could see some of Shu's clothing. "Shu, Jiro-! !"

She screamed as something slammed into her with powerful force, sending her sprawling on her back. For a minute, she just stared at the ceiling, trying to breathe. When she was able to sit up again, she saw the War Mecha Robo that had thrown Jiro, having taken up an offensive stance, and immediately deduced that it had been what knocked her down.

"If you wish to save them," said Nene, sounding more than a little amused (the _nerve_ of him, Kluke thought), "let's see if you can get past this. It shouldn't be much trouble for you, but the question is if you can defeat it fast enough."

"Fast enough!"

As if on cue, the strut gave another high-pitched sound; she heard Shu and Jiro let out simultaneous, startled shouts.

While she started standing, Kluke was, not for the first time, struck with how indifferent Nene always acted towards Mecha Robos. Like they were simply tools, void of any emotion, and did nothing but follow orders; as if they didn't even feel pain. She knew that the War Mecha Robo in front of her was an enemy, an enemy stood in the way of her helping her friends, but it deeply disturbed her all the same.

Once Kluke had summoned her Shadow, she didn't waste time doing a charge - in this kind of situation, every second would count - going straight into the spinning movements of a Watera spell. After Phoenix's piercing cry, the strong wave crashed into the Mecha Robo.

She had a momentary feeling of victory before it abruptly dissipated, accompanied by her gasp.

Though it was just barely managing to hang on, the Robo still stood.

* * *

Shu's teeth started grinding as his arms started to burn. As always, he would _not_ give up. But, the way things were going, his body might not let him have a choice about it.

"Shu, stop it. Just _stop_. Just let me go," Jiro choked out. "_Please_."

Distantly, Shu heard a crash of water. He wondered if he'd imagined it. "I won't," he shook his head, holding tighter. "I'm not leaving you to die, Jiro."

Jiro looked at him quickly then, eyes filled with desperation. "Shu-"

He broke off when the strut gave another keening noise, lowering them again.

This time, though, it didn't stop.

The initial sharp sound melded into a kind of metallic wailing as the strut seemed to almost bend.

And then it snapped.

Shu only gave a sharp intake of breath, unable to believe what was happening.

As they started descending, Jiro realized with a dawning horror that the younger would not be letting him go. _Shu..._

Abruptly, the falling stopped. Shu winced as he felt something tight on his leg, a few inches above his foot.

When Jiro looked past him, he saw, holding onto Shu's ankle, Kluke.

* * *

"Hang on!" Kluke gasped as she struggled, thrusting out her free hand to join the other in holding onto Shu. "Just hang on, you two! I've got you!" She grimaced as her movement caused the floor to press against her chest uncomfortably, and also made it harder to take in air.

"Kluke!" Jiro, his voice relieved yet urgent. "Kluke, make him let go of me! He'll listen to you; he has to!" He sounded more desperate than she'd ever heard him.

"_What_?" Kluke was so surprised that she almost let go. "Jiro, what are you saying? !"

"Please! The two of you won't be able to hold me up! I'll drag all of us down!"

"Don't listen to him!" Shu looked at her over his shoulder. "Pull, Kluke! Pull as hard as you can!"

"Got it!" Securing her grip as best she could, Kluke started hauling upwards, crying out slightly from the exertion. She didn't know if she'd be strong enough, but she had to try.

She felt a sense of relief, as well as triumph, when she managed to tug Shu enough that his waist was on the floor, though the other half of him and all of Jiro remained dangling. Kluke sat up in a crouch, finding that the position made the pulling much easier. She didn't need to do much more, though - once Shu had gotten to that point, he braced his feet, then heaved himself and Jiro up-

And the two of them tumbled right into Kluke, all three of them landing on the floor in a discombobulated heap.

Kluke gave a small groan of discomfort. Both boys were lightweight, always had been - but having both of them on top of her, as well as one of their elbows poking sharply into her side, was not exactly a pleasant feeling.

One of them rolled off, bringing the other with him; when Kluke turned her head, she saw Shu propping himself up on one arm, turned away from her. Most of Jiro had been blocked from her view incidentally by Shu, but she could see that he was still lying on the ground.

"Jiro?" Shu said his name tentatively.

The silence that followed was only several seconds, but it felt long and heavy.

And then Shu was shaking his best friend's arm, his voice not necessarily loud, but hiked. "_Jiro_!" Hiked and panicked.

Kluke scrambled to her feet, making it to Shu's side just as he lifted up Jiro; unbeknownst to her, Shu held him much the way he had held Kluke when he'd saved her from that fall that now seemed ages ago, except that Shu hadn't been sitting back then. And back then, Jiro had been awake.

"Jiro!" Shu shook him again, but was still careful about not hurting him. Save for very faint, almost ragged breaths, he received no response.

Kluke gripped Shu's shirt in her hand, for an inexplicable reason not able to touch Jiro, but needing to hold onto _something_. "Jiro..."

And then, a small noise came from the back of his throat. Closed eyes scrunched momentarily, and then they were wearily opened.

"Jiro." Shu's shoulders sunk in relief.

"Shu..." Jiro looked at him dazedly, then tilted his head to look past him. "Kluke..."

Kluke let go of Shu's shirt. "Shu, help him sit up."

"Oh. Right." He sounded distracted; dazed, even. But carefully, Shu guided Jiro upward.

Once he'd righted himself, Jiro parted his lips, as if he were going to speak, then stopped. Slowly, he looked between both of his friends.

Then, before either Shu or Kluke had the time to realize what had happened, Jiro was embracing them tighter than he'd ever hugged them in his whole life.

"I thought..." His voice came out as a hoarse, strangled whisper. Both friends could tell he was crying. "I thought I'd never see either of you again..."

"It's okay, Jiro," Shu recovered from the surprise first, throwing the arm not pressed against Kluke's over Jiro's shoulder. "It's okay. We've got you. We're going to get you out of here, I promise."

Jiro pulled back, oddly both reluctant and firm. His gaze focused on Kluke. His eyes, his expression, looked haunted. "Kluke... Kluke, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, that I didn't..." He swallowed, having trouble continuing. "When Nene captured you, and the nightmares after... I'm so sorry that I wasn't more understanding." He gripped her hand tightly, his own trembling.

And Kluke realized then, horrified, that even if he hadn't before, Jiro understood now.

"Oh," she breathed, her face falling. "Oh, Jiro, _no_." She slumped forward, her head falling against his shoulder. In a matter of seconds, she'd started sobbing.

Shu's eyes darted from one to the other, unable to figure out what had happened, and distressed because he couldn't. He'd outstretched a hand toward them, about to ask what was going on-

He heard it from behind him. Nene and Deathroy's chuckles.

Shu whirled around, rage boiling inside him. "_Nene_-! ! !"

"Shu!" Jiro snatched his waistcloth, trying to pull him backwards. "Shu, don't! !"

"Nene! !" Shu ignored him, straining forward. "Nene, I know you're behind this, you bast-! !"

"Shu, please! !" Jiro interrupted Shu's swear, seeming almost frantic. "Please, just let it go!"

"Let it _go_?" Shu's head snapped around to face Jiro, bewildered. "Jiro, are you hearing yourself-"

"Do you wish to tell them," Nene's voice cut him off smoothly; he was smirking at Jiro, a glint in his eyes, "or shall I?"

"Shall I? ! Shall I? !"

"_No_!" Jiro shot forward, almost bumping into Shu. "Don't, please-"

"Jiro," Shu spoke slowly, unsure. "What is he talking about?"

"Shu, I-" Jiro broke off, unable to say anymore.

"Jiro?" Kluke took hold of his shoulder, her eyebrows furrowed. She was about to ask him what Shu had, but never got the chance.

A sudden, decisive beeping cut through the air.

Sounding just like Kluke's collar had.

"Jiro!" She pulled at the neck of his sweater, her hands frantic, but was stunned to find nothing.

"Where is it? !" Shu looked around, half in a combat stance. "Where did Nene put it? !"

"Take it easy, you two," Jiro, sounding calm, unnervingly calm. "I have it."

Shu went still. He imagined Kluke had done the same. "You... have it?"

Jiro nodded once, slow. He reached at his belt, procuring a small cylindrical object, just a bit shorter than his little finger and not much thicker than his middle one. In the center of it was that red circle that had been on the collar, flashing in time with the beeps, albeit being smaller.

Shu immediately reached for it, intending to throw it out into the sky, but Jiro's hand closed around it. "What are you doing? !" He almost shouted, but not quite. "That thing, we have to get rid of it-"

"No," Jiro said, that same unnerving calm still present, "we don't."

"It won't explode." Nene's voice sounded matter-of-fact. "You have no need to worry about that. No, you have something much more subtle to deal with, yet just as dire."

"Just as dire!"

"Nene, what did you do? !" Shu wanted to rush over there and smack him, smack that condescending smirk off his face, but something held him back.

"I thought..." Jiro started, pausing; when Shu turned, he saw that Jiro was smiling, but, with his eyes brimming with tears, he looked sadder than either of his friends had ever seen him. "I thought it would be better... easier... if the two of you didn't know."

"Know what, Jiro?" Shu asked, suddenly afraid for a reason he couldn't explain. When Jiro didn't answer, he crouched in front of him, hands lightly shaking his best friend's shoulders. "Know _what_, Jiro?"

"Know that through his veins," said Nene, "runs poison."

"Poison! Poison!"

Both Shu and Kluke froze, stricken. Jiro only stared at his lap with a pained resolution.

"The poison travels through his blood," Nene continued, relentless and uncaring. "And, eventually, it will reach his heart. It will kill him. The poison is magical in nature," he added. "It is bonded to the magic of Shadows; if the Minotaur is summoned, he will only die faster."

"Jiro," Shu stumbled to his feet, almost falling over. "Just hang on. I'll heal you."

"Shu, it won't-" Jiro winced as the Dragon summoned with a roar, just before being enveloped with the rainbow light of a Cure Poison spell. When it stopped, he felt the same, as he knew he would. Most signifying was the continued beeping; it monitored how fast the poison moved, how close it had gotten to its goal. How long he had before he'd permanently know no more.

"You're wasting your time," Nene called to them. "It cannot be removed without a very particular antidote."

"It'll work!" Shu dropped to his knees, gripping Jiro's forearms as he cast the spell again. "It has to work!"

"Shu... It's okay." Jiro spoke gently. "It's alright, Shu. You don't have to keep doing that; he's right, it won't work."

"It has to work!" Shu shut his eyes, yet again casting Cure Poison, even though it did nothing. "It _has_ to!"

"He's gone," Kluke gasped. "Nene's gone."

Both boys looked over to where he'd been, and saw that she was right; Nene had disappeared to _somewhere_, leaving them alone in an empty room except for the half-destroyed War Mecha Robo that Kluke had defeated earlier.

When he started another Cure Poison, Kluke reached toward him. "Shu-"

"Kluke, don't say anything." His eyes snapped open, his voice trembling. "Don't you _dare_ say anything. Don't say that it... that it won't work... Because it has to... You know that it has to..."

Kluke leaned against Jiro, her arms going around him loosely. She didn't have the strength to argue with Shu if he was going to be stubborn; she felt like a hollowed out pumpkin. Still, she gave one more attempt. "Shu... Please, just try to calm down. You're not helping Jiro by doing this."

He stopped for a moment, looking at Kluke steadily. Then he let out the breath he'd been holding, tried to do what she said, but for the most part failed; his limbs were stiff with tension. Under normal circumstances, he'd be perfectly calm, because Jiro would have a plan, or he'd be coming up with one.

But Jiro wasn't doing anything. He did nothing but sit there and accept his fate, accept that soon, he would die.

And Shu could hardly stand it.

After unsummoning his Shadow, Shu stood up abruptly and started pacing. "If... If magic won't work, we'll find something else."

Jiro shook his head. "There isn't anything. Shu, just sit down; it'll be okay."

Shu turned to them, shaking with barely repressed anger. "I can't believe you! Either of you! How can the two of you just sit there and give up? !"

"I never said I was giving up," Kluke grounded out through her teeth. "I just don't know what to-" She stopped, eyes widening. "Wait... Wait, that's _it_."

"What's it?" Forgetting to be furious at them, Shu hurried to Kluke's side. "What is it, Kluke?"

"Nene said something about an antidote." Her hand was under her chin, eyebrows furrowed in deep thought. "If he even mentioned it, he must know what and where it is, or he may even have it himself."

Shu brightened. "So we've just gotta find Nene, and then we can get the antidote."

Kluke gave a wan smile. "Exactly."

"That's easier said than done," Jiro cut in quietly. "Nene wouldn't just give up information like that. Besides, I don't think I have much time left."

"Who said we'd be sitting on our hands?" Shu pushed himself to his feet. "We're not going to be just taking our time; we're going to find him as fast as we can. And if Nene won't tell us where to find it or give it to us, it'll only be worse for him, because he's going to give it to us whether he likes it or not. He'll help us get the antidote if we have to force him to do it." His eyes shone dangerously.

"Shu..." Jiro trailed off, not knowing what to say. Was there anything he even _could_ say to make Shu give up this insane plan?

"I'm in." Kluke stood as well, inadvertently crushing Jiro's hopes of stopping them. "If there's a chance that this could work, then let's do it."

Jiro stared up at them for a long moment, before a small and tired smile broke across his face. "What am I going to do with you two?..."

Shu grinned, just as weary as Jiro, but at the same time, strangely a bit more energetic. He offered his hand. "Plenty. But first, we have to find that antidote so we can get the heck out of this place."

Jiro hesitated, wondering for a moment if there was any last attempt he could make to change their minds. But he had to keep himself from a rueful smile; when did Shu ever change his mind, especially when he got as determined as this? He took Shu's hand and let himself get pulled up...

And then Jiro's world tilted.

He heard the far-away-sounding echoes of his friends' shouts before everything went dark.

* * *

_Your body language around her reeks of affection. It's obvious how much you care; when you stood in front of her that day, it was simply a confirmation for me. A confirmation that she needed to be the one I took. I should thank you for that; though not as good as you, she was a most excellent prisoner._

_She called for you. All the time. Even in her nightmares._

_Such a smart mind you have, but it never seems to work when you _really_ need it to, does it?_

_Both of your parents live, yet theirs don't. You despise yourself for it. Torture yourself with it._

_But not nearly as much as you torture yourself concerning your feelings for her. What will your precious little brother think, I wonder, when he finds out? But more than that - when he finds out and _understands it_? You don't even fear him hating you, not anymore - you fear the pain it would cause him. So many secrets you've shared with each other, and the one you keep from him is the one that will hurt him most. _

_And that, far beyond the other reasons, makes you hate yourself more than anything else in the world._

"_No_! ! !" Jiro gasped for air, eyes snapping open; distantly, he felt hair sticking wetly to his forehead. _Oh, God, I can't breathe, he must finally be killing me-_

"Jiro!" His ears focused on the familiar voice, right before his vision focused on the warm brown eyes near his own. Everything came back to him, then, and he knew where he was. "Easy, Jiro. It's alright. You passed out when you stood... You're a little feverish, though it isn't critical yet. And... I think you were having a nightmare." Kluke adverted her eyes.

Jiro swallowed; the urgency for air wasn't as strong now, but he still felt like he needed more of it badly. "Did I..." He trailed off. He wanted to know if he'd said anything out loud, but didn't even want to mention it for fear that she would know what he'd been dreaming. He hoped that Kluke didn't ask him if he remembered anything. Nene's mind games were the last thing he wanted to talk about. For her sake, if not his own.

He felt arms tighten around him, not uncomfortably. He saw the blue wristbands. _Shu._ Jiro relaxed a little. "You were..." Shu cleared his throat. "You were yelling 'stop'. Over and over again. And-" He clammed up when Kluke shushed him with a gesture.

"No," he shook his head at Kluke. "I want to know. What did I say, Shu?" He braced himself for whatever the answer would be.

Shu closed his eyes. "'Don't hurt her. Please don't hurt her anymore.' That's what you said, when you weren't saying 'stop'." There was an odd note in Shu's voice, one that couldn't really be placed. It unnerved Jiro, for some reason.

Jiro fought against a mortified flush; he knew that the 'anymore' would have mostly given him away about who he had meant. Even if Shu didn't, Kluke knew - she still wasn't looking at him. Maybe she _couldn't_ look at him. _Maybe I embarrassed her._

"We should get going." Kluke stood. "Shu or I can carry you, Jiro, but we need to go; we can't afford wasted time."

"Alright." Jiro was a mix of jumbled emotions, thoughts, and feelings. Shu and Kluke were okay, they were all but trapped in some strange place, he was going to die, he worried the nightmares would be a regular occurrence if he lived long enough to go to sleep again, they were going to catch a cold if they stayed in this room much longer, he was going to die, Zola and Marumaro were nowhere to be found, Nene likely had some kind of twisted plan in mind (when didn't he?), he was going to die, they _really_ needed to get out of this room, he was afraid of standing again, he was going to die, and _Kluke still wasn't looking at him_.

But Shu was. "Jiro, are you okay? You seem..."

"Of course he isn't." Kluke said shortly. Her arms were crossed over her chest. She still hadn't looked at him.

"I know he isn't _physically_ okay," Shu snapped back at her. "That's pretty obvious right now. He looked upset, is all."

"Wouldn't you be, if you were poisoned?" She bit out.

"Come on, you two, that's enough. I'll be fine. I had a lot on my mind, that's all. Let's just go." Jiro had always been able to tell his friends' emotions and feelings - he'd often wondered if he was the only one out of the trio who could - so he knew exactly what was happening right now. _They're too worried about me. I have to find a way to calm them down. Unless by some miracle their plan works, I'm not going to make it. Whatever else they may feel, even if they don't know they feel it, Shu and Kluke are still friends. And even if it's literally the last thing I do, I refuse to let my death tear their friendship apart._

Then again, he thought, maybe he'd looked into it too much. Shu and Kluke snapped at each other on occasion - that was just the way they were sometimes - so maybe the tense atmosphere of the situation had just caused them to do it now. Maybe they were actually just falling back on something familiar in a time of crisis.

_Or maybe, Jiro, you're just thinking too much again,_ he chided himself, almost but not quite wryly. He couldn't really feel wry at the moment - not when Shu was looking at him worriedly again. (_Kluke still isn't looking at me; I must have said something awful that they aren't telling me about,_ he lamented absently.) The only thing he really felt was a stab of guilt. Jiro flashed a small smile, nodding at Shu once. His friend returned it weakly.

"Hang on, Jiro." Shu stood, slowly and carefully, holding Jiro the same way as before (as this happened, Jiro couldn't shake feeling both helpless and useless). But when he'd straightened, there was a faint shock in his eyes. "Jiro, you... You're so _light_."

That startled a chuckle out of him. "Part of the poison, I think. I lost a pound or two." Jiro imagined that it would be noticeable; he hadn't weighed much to begin with. Maybe even _not enough_; his parents were always worried about that, constantly trying to get more food into him...

_Mother. Father. I won't ever see them again, will I?_ His chest tightened, sharp and painful. He was grateful that he'd at least gotten to see Shu and Kluke, before...

Shu mumbled several choice curses under his breath, all of them directed at Nene, save for one he aimed at himself. His voice and eyes were heavy when he spoke again. "Let's go."

Kluke searched around the room a little for a way Nene could have left, and soon ended up finding a door on the wall opposite to the open space. The make of the door was identical to the one they'd used to enter the room they were currently in. She waved over Shu, who was still carrying Jiro; when he had made it over, she pointed to it. "I don't think Nene used this to get out, but I checked, and there isn't any other way for us to leave."

Shu nodded. "Then this is the way we go."

The door opened into a very short hallway; Kluke and Shu recognized it instantly, because it looked like the one they'd walked into when they exited the elevator, all pale floors and ceiling, almost-floor-to-ceiling windows that let the sunlight pour in. At the other end was another door.

As they passed through, Jiro's eyes slid shut a little, drowsily. The sun felt nice and warm...

But he shook it off quickly. He didn't want to have another nightmare. _If I survive, from now on I'm going to have some major sleep issues._

At the end of the hallway, the door opened automatically with no prompting or buttons. As they stepped through the doorway, Shu mumbled something about "Nene" and "weird places" that Jiro couldn't make out.

It led to a room that couldn't even really be called that - mostly, it was just a few feet of floor in front of a short staircase. The bottom stair was exceedingly wide, and the steps that followed steadily decreased in width, almost but not exactly similar to a pyramid. The top stair led to a doorway that either led outside or somewhere bright - so much light came inside that it made it impossible to see what lay beyond.

As they climbed the staircase, Kluke felt a vague sort of relief; if nothing else, maybe they'd finally get to feel the sun without it being through glass.

They went through the doorway, and emerged to find themselves free of the rooms - they'd made it to an open space, free of ceiling or walls, with a metallic floor that glistened in the sunlight that was so bright in some spots that it nearly blinded them. In the distance, they saw what looked like the outside of another room; the tall height of the wall seemed to imply another floor, possibly more than one.

"Quite a place Nene's got for himself here." Kluke commented bitterly.

"Not _much_ of a place," Shu muttered. "This part is even barer than what we've already seen."

While they started walking towards the other side, Jiro flinched suddenly. He couldn't explain it, but something felt very, very wrong.

A second later, he knew why.

"_Shu_." Kluke threw an arm in front of him, stopping his steps.

"Kluke? What-" Shu cut off as he saw what her finger was pointing at.

They were close enough to the door now to make out the details of it, as well as what was around it.

And next to the door was Szabo.

"Shu, get Jiro on the ground." Kluke whispered, without saying the rest. _In case we have to fight._

Shu swore, dropping to one knee and fumbling. Jiro murmured calmly to him, but his best friend remained tense.

The way the Mecha Robo's eyes shown implied that he would have sneered at them if he could. "The lot of you took so long that Lord Nene tired of waiting for you to arrive. So very slow... I heard that humans were compassionate; I thought you would have cared more about your friend than _that_."

Kluke knew Shu better than back of her hand, so she already knew what he was about to do. She turned toward him. "Shu-"

But Shu was already charging forward, letting loose with an enraged yell, eyes burning with an angry fire that wouldn't be easily doused.

"Fool," was the only thing Szabo said before pounding a fisted hand against the wall, where something clicked.

It caused something utterly unexpected.

The floor under him tilted at an angle, becoming impossibly slippery; Shu couldn't get a foothold, and started sliding backwards, a scream escaping him that frightened both Jiro and Kluke, because Shu rarely ever sounded so genuinely afraid.

And then the rest of the floor was tilting, causing Kluke to spill backwards with a shriek; Jiro was already sitting, but he still slid down, expelling a startled, wordless exclamation.

"_Shu_! !" Jiro thrust his hand out, trying to grab his younger friend as he fell past him, but the poison had made him weak, and he had no chance of grabbing him. He was only able to yell and watch in agony as Shu passed a wall that had cropped up from the now-angled floor, separating him from Jiro and Kluke.

The slide lasted only a short while, a minute at the most, but it felt like forever as they tumbled hopelessly down into a quickly darkening metal crevice. At the end of it, Jiro and Kluke smacked hard against the wall, back and knees first respectively.

"Kluke..." Jiro croaked her name out, opening his eyes that had closed sometime during the near-free fall; his line of sight was met with a thick strip of blue sky. Turning his head slightly, he saw Kluke lying next to him, holding a knee that had gotten slightly bloody from the impact; the other knee was underneath her, so he couldn't tell whether that one was worse off or had fared better.

Kluke raised her head, and he saw that some of her hair had come out of her ponytail, a few freed strands on the left side of her face brushing her shoulder. Her eyes held an exhausted panic. "Jiro... Shu - we have to-"

She was cut off by a scream neither had ever heard before, but one that was undeniably Shu.

"Shu! ! !" Jiro kicked out with weakened limbs, trying to pull himself up in a frenzy - some of that old instinct had kicked in, that brotherly instinct to keep Shu safe that Jiro had thought he'd lost when his feelings for Kluke had gotten strong enough to put a strain on their friendship - but only succeeded in rubbing his fingers and hands raw. His eyes stung, the corners feeling damp, and his voice came out hoarse. "_Shu_! ! !"

Kluke yelped; she had managed to scramble about a foot up the floor, but had skidded back down almost immediately.

Jiro went limp, mind reeling and heart aching. _Even at the end, I'm still no use to anyone..._

Kluke's voice cut though the air highly. "Jiro!"

Jiro's eyes darted up, and his breath caught, because he was looking right into the face of the looming Jumbo Mecha Robo.

**…** **And chapter four is done! Hopefully no one wants to throw things at me now… (**_**Jiro: I'm seriously thinking about it.**_**) (**_**Come on, now, Jiro dear-**_**) (**_**Jiro: Don't you "Jiro dear" me; you **_**poisoned**_** me!**_**) (**_**Well, **_**I**_** didn't-**_**) (**_**Jiro: *walks off muttering angrily***_**) Otherwise, I think this chapter turned out pretty good. But that's for you guys to decide. :) Anyway, if you can, please review and let me know what you think (even more eager than usual to find out if it's okay…)! I'll try to update after 10 hits, but the real thing that decides what story will be updated next is the poll on my profile. The poll results will be cleared after the upload of this chapter, so please remember to vote again (or for the first time) if you're able! :) Keep in mind that the next story from the poll might be a little slow this time, because I have a surprise project I'm going to start working on immediately and will upload ASAP. And…that should be everything I have to mention. See you soon! :D**


	6. Chapter 5: Whirlwind

**Finally, this chapter is done! :D It took so much to finish this… Even if I wasn't trying to write shorter author's notes, I doubt I'd go into all of the crazy stuff that's been happening to me… But, I digress. Time for review replies!**

**Inita:** Glad to hear it. :D That's what I liked about the last chapter, too. XD Thank you; me, too. :) I was pretty down when it was happening, because I was so worried… But I was happy again when he came home; I missed him a lot. The awful thing about it is that my dad went into the hospital _again_ three days ago - but, fortunately, he should be coming home either today or a few days from now. Anyway... I'm glad to hear you're friend's doing better. :) The Plus adaptation is finally here, though; I'm still ecstatic and unable to believe that. XD Yep, that's around how much it cost… I'm glad to have it, though; I got used to it after a while, but I missed playing the DS games (mostly Blue Dragon Plus and Pokemon Pearl, but others as well). Oh… XD I wish there was a section or something that had information about features on the site; I've been on here for almost a year and a half, and there're still things I don't know. Yeah. XD Yes… *sighs* Wow, really? At first, I'd been kind of curious but didn't know what to think of it (I had only heard little bits about it and not seen it at that point), but I fell in love with it the instant it arrived at my home via package. Ah… XD XD Because it looked like Dragon Ball actually made me like it more; I never saw a lot of that series, but I liked it, and seeing that artwork brought back a lot of happy memories (mostly memories of the things that had been happening around that time rather than the Dragon Ball series itself). You weren't?... Oh, I see. :) (No problem; as I've said many times, I always enjoy talking about Blue Dragon.) I know. :( That's good; it's what I'm aiming for. :D *blushes* Thank you! :) Hm? *looks curiously at Sahlia* Oh, well… Mm. XD Thanks (though I will try to go a little faster). :) Ikai no Kyojuu (or Awakened Shadow; I like both titles, but I think I said that already)… I want to play it so bad. ;.; I have no idea when I'll be able to get a copy, though. Yeah; I think she might! :D (_Kluke: You're embarrassing me…_) That's a relief; you know I always worry, but I'd worried about that scene in particular being out of character (save for Jiro; again, had still worried, but I felt pretty sure that's how he would react in that situation). I know; I felt so bad when I wrote it. :( I know. XP I _had_ disliked Nene… but now I feel some sympathy for him. There are still times, mostly when I replayed and once again finished the game, that I still feel some anger toward him. But I can't completely feel that way after Plus. (I know; I'm confusing. XD) I don't think I dislike Deathroy – there's really no character, Blue Dragon game or anime, that I dislike – but I definitely find him annoying at times. For a while, I had a hunch that he was the one who made Nene act so evil, but that seemed to not be the case (there's no evidence of it, anyway). Yep. :P They'll probably be doing that throughout; it hadn't been my intention, but the Mecha Robos getting in the way has almost become a theme of this story. Kluke _was_ supposed to let Nene have it, but that somehow seems to have not happened yet… *looks at Kluke with raised eyebrow* (_Kluke: Don't look at me like that; there's a lot going on!_) Yes. :) Yeah; that was pretty awful of Nene to do. XP The idea of poison was what actually "made" this story – there had been the initial idea from the trailer, but the plot twist of Jiro being poisoned was what solidified the storyline. R-really…? Wow… I never thought it would come out enough like the game for the actual music to be heard… *eyes shine* :D Yeah, definitely; that song is wonderful… Getting the wording of what Nene had said was actually very tricky. *sweatdrops* But, I'm glad to hear it; I liked how it turned out in the end, though I still felt bad for Jiro. Well, there actually hadn't been anything intended – when I first wrote it, what Shu said was the only thing Jiro had spoken in his sleep. But after reading your review, I've been considering what he might've said… Although I haven't been able to come up with anything. XP Still thinking on that, though. Um… Any ideas? *sheepish smile* They are fun to write. XD I should probably take out the Adventure genre and put in Suspense instead. ;) Okay; thank you for waiting, and for voting. :D The surprise project was _Mirror Image_, which I'm hoping to work on again soon (though I suspect that I'm going to get stumped on the middle and end of the next chapter, since the end of the first chapter was supposed to be the beginning of the second). _Beyond_ finally got an update since then as well (two updates, in fact); I'm finally about to get to a part in that story I've been eager to write since I uploaded the first chapter, so I'm definitely looking forward to getting back to that. :D Hope you enjoy the chapter! :)

**pepperdadog:** Don't worry about it; I'm just glad you liked it. :D Besides, I think there were a few friendship scenes that were smile-worthy. ;) *blushes again* Aw, thanks! :D I feel really bad for him, too. :( He is indeed still mad at me, and still wants to throw something at me. XD Sorry for the wait, but the chapter's finally here! :D

**Review replies done! I'm actually unhappy with how this chapter turned out (this will be elaborated on more in the ending note) - so unhappy, in fact, that I seriously considered not uploading it - but I didn't want to take more time trying to rework the plot; it's been four months and two weeks since I updated this story, so perhaps I'm rushing **_**just**_** a bit. If there's any inconsistencies or anyone out of character, please let me know ASAP. (On a side note, in the Document Manager, the exclamation marks that followed question marks were taken out, even when I put them back and saved the document after editing it. Needless to say, I was furious. If the problem persists, I'm going to contact the site and see if they can tell me what the problem is.) Anyway, on with the chapter!**

For what seemed like the longest time, but actually happened for only a few seconds, Jiro didn't move. His breath had initially caught in his chest upon seeing how close the Jumbo Mecha Robo was to him; it wasn't stilled any longer, but his breathing could hardly be called "normal".

And then it was coming out of him in a startled rush as Kluke screamed beside him. "_Jiro_! !" Except that her voice started getting distant around the second syllable of his name - it wasn't until he saw her suddenly in front of him, in the Robo's grip, that he realized what it had done.

"No! ! !" Jiro tried to make a desperate grab for her, but was far too weak - just like he'd been when Shu slid past him moments prior. He'd had a better chance then than he'd had with Kluke, and both times he hadn't come close to even _touching_ either of them.

His hand dropped, coming to rest on the slippery floor, where it tightened into a pale-knuckled fist against the slick metal as he closed his eyes tightly. A handful of seconds elapsed where his thoughts were filled with frustration and despair, sadness and self-loathing.

And then he felt himself being lifted.

There was no time to yell or cry out, no time to do anything at all. He felt fear grip him as he was pulled through the air at a rapid rate, completely helpless in its hold. It was the opposite of falling down into this hole-like crevice, yet just as terrifying.

It finally came to an end. Jiro took a minute to right his breathing, then opened his eyes, immediately looking to the right, where he was relieved to see Kluke, conscious and not much more harmed than she'd been a minute ago. Unfortunately, they were both in the same situation. She seemed relieved to see him, too, but her eyes were afraid.

Below them, Jiro saw Szabo, who was... cowering? The burst of confusion that followed this discovery didn't last long.

Next to the Mecha Robo was Nene, and he looked furious. "... And I specifically told you _not_ to do anything until I arrived."

"Until he arrived!" Deathroy wagged a single, small finger.

"Forgive me, your Excellency..."

"We shall have to see about that," Nene turned toward the Jumbo Mecha Robo, giving its prisoners a considering glance. "Now, what to do with these children..."

"What to do!"

"Where is Shu?" Jiro demanded. "What did you do with him?"

Nene gave a bright smile, with a heavy undercurrent of cruelty. "Why, I haven't done a thing."

"Haven't done a thing!"

Kluke shot forward, though the Jumbo Mecha Robo's hand kept her from going very far. "You _liar_! ! !"

Jiro swallowed hard. Rarely had he heard her voice hold so much viciousness, so much anger. He'd noticed that the times it occurred had increased since Kluke had gotten her Shadow. He didn't _exactly_ know why, but it scared him whenever it happened.

Nene said nothing, only contemplated silently. Then he brought his hand up - and waved dismissively. "Let them go."

"Let them go!"

"Lord Nene...!" Szabo sounded startled.

"Enough, Szabo." Nene glared at him. "You've done more than enough."

"Enough!"

The Jumbo Mecha Robo lowered its hands, then suddenly opened them; Jiro and Kluke yelled as they fell to the ground. They hit the floor hard. Jiro groaned in pain after he'd landed, and he heard Kluke do likewise.

He heard Nene say, "Come. It is time for us to take our leave."

"Take our leave!"

Jiro's head shot up. "Wait-! !" But by then, it was too late – all of them were gone, even the Jumbo Mecha Robo. As if they were never there. Maybe they had warped; Jiro could think of no other way for them to leave so soundlessly.

He moved toward Kluke, laying a hand on her arm. "Kluke? Are you okay?"

She made a small noise of discomfort in the back of her throat, then sat up. She nodded slowly. "I'll be fine. We need to find Shu."

"Let's check where he fell." Jiro got to his feet unsteadily.

Though it wasn't far to go - only a few feet - Jiro ended up leaning against Kluke when everything started spinning. Though Kluke told him it was alright, that she didn't mind helping him, Jiro cursed himself for the weakness; it could be time that Shu didn't have.

After a little more than a minute, they could see the side of the now-angular floor that had separated Shu from them. It looked exactly the same as the other side.

And Shu was at the bottom.

"Kluke, put me down and use your Shadow," Jiro told her. "Use Phoenix to get him out. Don't go down there; you'll only get stuck."

"Okay." Kluke nodded, then helped him down; Jiro scooted back, to get away from the edge and to also give her room.

Phoenix's cry pierced the air, and then the Shadow was swooping down the metal incline, heading for Shu. When Jiro took a momentary look at Kluke from the corner of his eye, he saw that she held her hands low, pressed together as if she were cupping them to take water.

He felt apprehension bubbling up, though he quickly tried to push it down; none of them had ever tried to lift a person with a Shadow before. They always seemed to not know as much about Shadows as they thought they did, and there was always the chance that this wouldn't work. _I can't think like that,_ Jiro admonished himself. _We _need_ this to work, and negative thinking won't help anything._

Kluke brightened suddenly, her head lifting slightly. "I think I got him-"

"Agh! !" The pained shout interrupted her. "No... Don't..."

"Shu, what's happening? !" Kluke looked over the edge. Jiro followed suit, but neither of them could see anything past Phoenix.

"My arm... Not my arm..."

Jiro's stomach lurched with foreboding.

"Shu, tuck your arm in," Kluke took up a different position, spreading her hands and legs wide. "Just hang on. I'm going to get you out of there." She took a deep breath, then slowly began raising her hands up.

Half a tense minute later, with things continuing that way, Phoenix finally appeared over the edge of the incline. Shu was cradled in the Shadow's wings.

Kluke had the bird-like Shadow set him down, then let out an exhausted breath as she fell to her knees, Phoenix unsummoning. Under her breath, she murmured, "That... was a lot harder than I thought..." She lifted her head. "Shu, are you okay?"

Shu only shook his head, letting out a pained noise that was a cross between a whimper and a groan. He still continued to tightly hold his arm.

Kluke scrambled towards him, while Jiro did the same; once she was beside him, she immediately began checking him. Then she gasped. "Your arm-!"

"It's broken," Shu grated out. "That... That giant tin can stepped on it... I kept shouting at it, and Szabo... He was looking over the edge, and... and _laughing_." He swallowed; Shu winced from the memory, then started shaking. "He didn't tell it to stop until the bone snapped. I heard it. I might've yelled, but I don't remember; I passed out."

Jiro started reaching toward him. "Hang on, Shu, I'll heal you-"

"No!" Shu's head shot up, his eyes panicked.

Jiro's hand jerked back. "What?" He almost felt... hurt.

"You can't," Kluke reminded him, seeming a bit exasperated, but mostly distressed. "The poison..."

"Oh... Right." The words came out muted. Jiro's hands fisted, trembling with suppressed anger. _I bet Szabo had the Jumbo Mecha Robo do it just for this reason - I can't heal him without killing myself._ He almost wanted to do it anyway, to bring out Minotaur and heal Shu; but whenever he nearly tried, the terror almost suffocated him.

"Don't worry - I'll heal you, Shu," Kluke smiled, a mask for the fear Jiro could see by her violently trembling hands. "Hold out your arm."

_She's afraid of messing up the spell._ Jiro thought he probably joined her in that. An error in healing an injury such as this could possibly end very badly. They didn't know this for sure, only had a minor example; one of the few times Kluke had tried to use a Cure Poison spell - since at that time Jiro's magic had been depleted - it had gotten botched through her nervousness, and Shu - the one poisoned, though a minor case, considering what some stronger monsters could do - had ended up with a fever for three days, and then had been plagued by some nausea and dizziness at the end of the third day.

But if the spell didn't work now, what would happen with an injury this bad?

Jiro grabbed her wrists in his hands. "Easy, Kluke - you have to calm down. You'll never get anywhere with a Heal spell like that." He forced his voice into lightness. He moved behind her, leaning forward over her shoulder. A few thoughts flitted around in his head about how close they were, as well as an urge to blush, but he pushed them aside - he focused on just keeping _her_ focused. He kept his eyes on where he held her wrists, trying not to lapse into casting the spell himself as he instructed her. "Keep your breathing steady. In and out. It's easy; you just have to know what you want the magic to do. It's no different than Black Magic." _That's a bit hypocritical coming from me, since when I use Black Magic everybody's life, friend or foe, is at stake no matter who my target is... But what's in the details?_ "Just keep thinking: 'Shu. He's hurt. He's hurt badly. I have to heal him. Heal him. Heal Shu.'"

Kluke breathed in quickly when her hands glowed white-blue, but she quickly relaxed, and directed the spell where it needed to go. The light swirled around Shu's arm a few times, before changing into a blinding flash.

When they could see again, Jiro slumped back in relief as he saw Shu moving his arm with no trouble at all. Shu glanced up after testing the limb, and his eyes locked with Jiro's for a moment - something passed through the younger's, something Jiro couldn't place, but something that made him feel unsettled. But as quickly as it came, it was gone.

Shu smiled at them wearily. "Thanks, you guys."

Kluke sighed. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"Let's worry about it later," Shu stood and stretched, flexing his arm. Testing to see how much it could take. "Come on - let's see what surprises Nene has in store for us next."

* * *

The trio stared, unblinking, at what they had discovered behind the door.

Another pale-colored hallway, just like the previous two.

Kluke resisted the urge to let out a frustrated scream.

"How..." Jiro took a second to search for a word. "...uncreative."

Shu snorted a laugh, which turned into an, "ow," when Kluke jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow. She folded her arms. "I can't believe you - _either_ of you - can joke at a time like this." But, however strained it might've been, she was still smiling.

They pressed on down the hall. There were more turns than the ones before, but it ended up being just as uneventful.

Halfway through, Shu spoke up. "These hallways... I keep feeling like there's something about them that we're missing."

"I don't know, Shu," Kluke looked around. "I don't see anything special about it."

"Just keep it in mind," Jiro told him. "Maybe there's something here that won't make sense to us until later on."

At the end of the hall, they came upon another elevator - again like the one in the Hospital Ruins. Except these doors were a bright, electric blue.

"I'm not sure we should go in there..." Kluke took half a step back. Jiro, who leaned against her with an arm around her shoulders, faltered before regaining his footing.

"Last time you said that, we ended up facing Nene," Shu shrugged. "Now we're trying to get to him, so what's the harm?"

"Last time you were almost _killed_!" She took a breath, calming herself down. "I'm just saying that I have a bad feeling about it. That's all."

"We'll be careful." Without another word, Shu hit the button to open the elevator doors. "Besides, it might have been dangerous before, but it _did_ lead us to Jiro. I don't think it turned out that bad."

Kluke sighed. "It would have been better to find him a _different_ way..."

"Come on, Kluke," Jiro nudged her forward as best he could. _How bad am I doing, if I can't even lightly push someone?_ "It can't be that bad. And this is the only way to go, not counting going back."

"I... guess you're right." Kluke relented, still supporting Jiro as she followed Shu into the now-open elevator. She yelped when the doors rapidly slid shut behind her, and that unseen mechanism - already becoming familiar - began moving them upward. For a brief second, Kluke wondered if the Ancients had traveled this way all the time. _How weird that must have been._

Shu grinned at her. "You know you can't argue with Jiro, Kluke; he's way too smart."

"Shu..." Jiro started scolding. Before he could get anything else out, the elevator rocked; the three of them cried out as the jostling motion brought them to the floor.

When it stopped, Shu pushed himself to his knees. "What was that? !"

Kluke glanced around nervously. "Did the elevator hit something?... Or was it the whole ship that hit something? Or fortress - whatever this thing is."

"It probably wasn't the elevator itself, because we're still moving." Jiro nodded at the numbers that slowly flashed above their heads.

"We'll worry about it later," Shu got to his feet. "Unless this thing starts crashing to the ground, it's Nene's problem, not ours." He smirked. "And whatever is giving him problems has to be good, right?"

"Reasonably speaking, yes," Kluke grunted as she helped Jiro up. "But this is _Nene_ we're talking about. For all we know, that bump means he sent something after _us_."

The doors opened as fast as they had closed. Staying aware, the three of them stepped out. And wordlessly looked at what was in front of them.

It didn't look much different from the open space they'd been standing on before. The main difference, and what had caught their attention, was that the floor had a light blanket of snow, with more round balls coming from the sky to join the current layer.

Kluke breathed out. "It's beautiful..." It was only her second time seeing snow, and it still had the power to amaze her.

"How could it be snowing?" Jiro blinked up at the sky, bemused. "Wasn't it sunny just a minute ago?"

"Never mind that; there's the way out," Shu pointed ahead. Across a decent-sized gap was a door, surrounded by a circular floor. "And there isn't anything blocking the way." He grinned. "See? Told you we'd be fine."

Kluke let out an exasperated breath. "That's great and all, but how do we get across?"

A high, tinny noise cut through the air and interrupted all speech. Suddenly, parts of the floor slid out in front of them, as if they were panels, leaving behind rectangular holes that showed nothing but darkness.

And then hands - Mecha Robo hands - were reaching out of that darkness, clinging to the edges, and pushing up.

In a matter of seconds, they were surrounded by War Mecha Robos.

Kluke swallowed hard. There were about three dozen that she could see, and from the amount of Robo hands continuing to reach out of the holes, there were three dozen more - at the _very_ least - still on the way. But she knew what she would have to do. She had made the decision in a split second, but there was no time to reconsider. It didn't matter, anyway - she would have chosen the same if she'd had all the time in the world.

Roughly - feeling more than a little bad about that - Kluke shoved Jiro at Shu. "Get him out of here, Shu. Now."

Jiro's eyes darted to her, filled with panic. She turned quickly. She wouldn't look at him, _couldn't_ look at him, because it would crack her resolve into a million pieces.

"Kluke? What are you doing?" Jiro's voice was hiked; he didn't bother to veil it.

"I said get out of here."

"You're crazy!" Shu shook his head. "First Jiro acts crazy, and now you!" When Kluke didn't respond, Shu ground his teeth together and stood his ground. "Well, you can forget it, because I'm not going anywhere."

"Don't argue with me, Shu." She had intended it to come out scolding, but she sounded too shaken. Mentally, Kluke berated herself. How was she going to get them to leave if she sounded afraid? Calmer, she said, "Don't worry about me. Just go - I'll be fine."

"No, you won't!" There was an edge of fear in Jiro's voice. The poison (_Kluke, Shu, I'm sorry; I didn't want to leave you like this_) and Nene's mind games (_How dare he say those things; he has no right_) had already thrown him into despair. So with Kluke attempting to take on a steadily increasing army of Mecha Robos, it took all that Jiro had to not lose his grip on the protective shell of logic he'd had since very early childhood; if he did, he was certain he'd delve into utter hysteria. "Th-there's too many! Kluke, you can't hold them off on your own!"

"Well, that settles it, then." Shu started stepping towards Kluke-

"No!" Kluke pushed back on the shoulder that didn't support Jiro. She couldn't stand what she was about to say, but it had to be done; she refused to let anything happen to them. Even if she had to hurt them a little herself - to her, it was a risk well worth it. "Shu, do you want Jiro to _die_? Do you even _care_ about what happens to him?"

Shu blinked suddenly stinging and moist eyes at her. "... Of course I care."

"Then, go," Kluke let her voice and eyes soften. "I'll be right behind you." She wished she could believe it.

Jiro's eyes flickered with worry. "Kluke-"

"Down! !" Shu dragged Kluke and Jiro to the ground as the Mecha Robos unleashed a rain of ammunition that went flying over their heads; from below he saw it catch and take off a few loose strands of hair at the end of Kluke's ponytail.

Kluke mentally wailed. There went her plan. But perhaps it was still salvageable...

She waited one second, two, three, for a break in the fire - when it came, Kluke got to one knee, throwing her arm forward as Phoenix sprung out of her shadow. "_Winda_!"

The spell knocked down and aside several War Mecha Robos, making a perfect line in the crowd. More than enough for them to make a break for it and get away.

Kluke hauled Shu up by his shirt, trusting that he wouldn't let go of Jiro, continuing to push him forward and run behind him once they were on their feet. "Go!"

Shu brought out his own Shadow as soon as he had both feet on the ground. And not a second too soon; the Dragon punched a Robo that had taken aim at Jiro. Shu, shielding Jiro just in case, dodged another on the opposite side that tried to punch him. Right about then, he was feeling very eager to get to Nene, and not only for the antidote.

Another second and they were clear from the mass of robots. Kluke immediately released Shu, whirling around to face them head on. She heard Jiro shout her name, but did her best to ignore it. Letting out something close to a battle cry, Kluke threw her arms up before pushing downward.

For a moment, she thought it might not work. Maybe she had miscalculated; maybe she was too high in the air; maybe she hadn't put enough magic into it. But then the blocks of earth tore upwards with such force and fierceness that Kluke wondered if maybe it wasn't a Grounda, but a Groundus (if there even was such a spell; Nene had taken them before she had gotten the chance to find out). The Mecha Robos that hadn't been instantly destroyed fell rapidly to the floor; others that had managed to not become scrap metal or go flying, but had lain on top of the stone, now tumbled down.

"Kluke..." Jiro's soft whisper came from behind her, sounding both awed and terrified. "What did you do?"

Before she could answer - not that she knew what to say - panels sprung open between Kluke and the boys, and Mecha Robos sprung out. Effectively cutting them off from each other. Cutting her off from keeping them safe.

"_No_! Shu, get Jiro away from there-! !" She broke off into a yell of pain when one of the robots behind her swung and caught her between the shoulder blades with its finger-prongs. She crumpled to one knee, clutching her back. Blinking through the agony her backside was causing her, she tried to see through the metal legs, managed to catch a flash of yellow shorts and white pants. She was filled with relief when she saw them back up every so often.

Kluke closed her eyes, feeling herself start to lose a battle for consciousness. _If Jiro and Shu are safe, that's all that matters..._

* * *

"Kluke! ! _Kluke_! !" Shu's voice was starting to go hoarse, but he didn't care. He couldn't see her, couldn't find her; where was she? !

Jiro almost joined him in calling for her, but that was when he saw a War Mecha Robo charging towards them. "Shu, look out!"

Shu dodged, kicking out at the Robo; the hit landed and threw it off balance. But there were more, so many more - and they were all closing in on them.

"Shu," Jiro gasped out, short of breath. "We have to find a way across that gap. They won't be able to reach us there. Then we should be able to see Kluke, and we can go back for her."

"But- but we can't leave her-"

He shook his head. "We can't help her where we are; we don't know exactly where she is, and it's too risky to wade into the crowd if we aren't certain of her location. They'll kill us before we ever reach her. Besides, we're done for if we stay here." He looked at Shu with tired eyes. "We're not leaving; we're just going farther away so we can see her, and then we're going to come back and get her."

With that reasoning, Shu nodded and started backpedaling, looking behind him every so often to make sure they weren't about to go over the edge. In the meantime, Shu tried to think of how they would jump over the gap in the first place.

When they were about an inch away from the end of the ground, Jiro looked across towards the door. "Shu, we're going to have to jump. There's nothing else we can do."

"Alright. I'll try to back up a little; that should help us get some distance..." Shu had started to do so.

Jiro glanced to the side - and felt his chest tighten at what he saw. "Shu-"

* * *

Her limbs burned - and her back, of course - but Kluke pushed herself to her feet, then yelled as she opened her arms wide. Instantly, a wave of water came up and pushed down two rows of the Mecha Robos. The others had widened their stances, trying to stand their guard in case she decided to unleash another spell.

Grinning to herself at the easy opening they'd left for her, she ducked between their legs, and managed to stagger away from them unharmed.

She straightened, searching with her eyes for Shu and Jiro - catching sight of them just in time to see Jiro's horrified expression, and Shu's oblivious one, as a Mecha Robo crashed into them, inadvertently joining the two as it sent the boys over the edge.

Kluke screamed as loud as she ran fast.

* * *

When Shu was five years old, about a yard and a half to the left of his favorite spot under the windmill, he fell off a cliff.

He didn't remember much about what happened before he woke up in Kluke's house the next day. But there were two things he remembered.

He remembered Jiro's piercing, heart wrenching scream, forever imprinted in his mind. He remembered the first half of the fall, which would haunt him almost as badly as when the Land Shark killed his parents; both would give him nightmares, and both would never be spoken of to anyone under any circumstances.

Seven years later, Shu felt like he was reliving that moment, and the panic gripped too tightly for him to even yell.

Jiro cried out, fingertips brushing the metal edge of the other side - but his hand couldn't grasp onto it, and they continued their fall.

But seeing Jiro reach out had reminded Shu that this time he wasn't the only one falling. And he wouldn't let it end like this for Jiro - not if he could help it.

Securing both arms around Jiro, Shu scrunched his eyes shut as he called on the magic, trying harder at this than he'd ever tried at anything else before. He begged the Dragon, pleaded with it, to come through for him as it had so many times before; there was no other way out from this, and he needed the Shadow now more than ever.

Everything slowed for a second. He could hear his heart beating in his ears. He felt the magic pull at the edges of his mind. His chest burned as light shone from that spot.

Shu gasped. Pain lanced through both his head and heart; his body trying to give him signs to stop. It was too much magic...

And then he and Jiro were enveloped in blue-white light.

* * *

The first thing Jiro became aware of was that his cheek had somehow pressed itself against an ice-cold surface. Or had the ice-cold surface pressed against his cheek? His thoughts were two muddled to tell... _Mm... Maybe the poison's already killing me..._

Awareness sliced through him at the thought of the poison; his eyes snapped open in an instant, immediately locking on Shu's face just a few inches in front of him.

Shu, whose eyes were closed, and wasn't moving.

Jiro pushed himself up, stopping when his head spun from the quick movement. Shaking it off, he grabbed Shu's wrist despite the way his heart skipped, thumb underneath the wristband. He let out a sigh, shoulders slumping in relief, when he felt a weak pulse.

But it was too weak. Much, much too weak. Jiro held Shu's head up, tapping his best friend's cheek with the palm of his hand. "Come on, Shu... Please... Open your eyes..." Shu made no response.

This wasn't good; not at all. He didn't know what had caused this, but a faint heart rate always led to bad things; he didn't know as much as Kluke, but he knew that much. It was far too cold, and the pulse was far too weak. If Jiro didn't think of something, Shu wouldn't make it.

Jiro froze. Shu... Shu wouldn't make it...

Unacceptable outcome.

Lacing his fingers with Shu's, Jiro looked at the younger boy's face with unwavering determination. He thought of Shu's constant words - _"I won't give up!"_ - and held fast to them, gathering his courage. He thought of Kluke facing down the Mecha Robo army only moments before (unless he'd been unconscious longer than he'd thought, but then why was the sun's position unchanged?), and swallowed down his anxiety.

Fine. If Kluke could be suicidal, so could he.

He hadn't done it in a while, but calling on magic - specifically healing magic - had become as second nature as breathing or swallowing. His hand started to glimmer just slightly - and Jiro suddenly became very aware of each of his heartbeats, because each one brought with it a pain that was a cross between burning and stabbing. He kept going, though, refusing to back down. When his hand started to full out shine, Jiro's vision blurred.

There was still time, probably. He had already sped it along, but if he stopped now, the poison probably wouldn't kill him. Not immediately, anyway. But Jiro would not back down.

He closed his eyes, feeling moisture gathering behind the lids. _Shu... Forgive me for doing this. And Kluke... I know you can't hear me... But... You make sure you take of him. For me. And... And, I... I lo-_

The Heala spell rushed out of him, and that was all Jiro knew before falling backwards, hitting the ground, landing in the icy embrace of darkness.

* * *

Kluke had seen the flash of blue-white light, and had seen Shu and Jiro end up on the circular floor. She hadn't gotten the chance to see anymore, because a Mecha Robo had grabbed her ankle and yanked to her to the metal ground. When she had looked up again, she saw Jiro falling onto the metallic flooring, a white glow leaving his hands as well as Shu.

She had known then, numbly, what Jiro must have done.

Just as numbly, she wondered if he was still in there for her to shake and scream at for his stupidity and kindness.

Kluke had expected to burst in to tears. To sob. To let out a keening wail that would speak of just as much sorrow as the day her parents had died.

Instead, turning around, with an incensed shout and Phoenix's bare talons, she and the Shadow clawed at the Mecha Robo that had tripped her until it was scrap at her feet.

She vowed that if Jiro was already dead, by the end of the day, she and Phoenix would claw at Nene with just as much vigor.

Facing the other way, Kluke put one foot behind her, then broke out into a sprint. She _would_ get to the other side. She imagined herself as Phoenix, spreading her wings and soaring over the gap with ease. She willed herself to get across that successfully.

Another step and the floor vanished from underneath her. She kept her arms widespread, almost shutting her eyes as she crossed the gap but felt herself dipping down.

She caught the edge with her fingers (which promptly began to throb at the strength it took to keep all of her up), her twice-scraped knee knocking against the metal side and bleeding a little once again. Kluke cried out, feeling herself start to slip.

_No! ! It isn't going to end this way; not when they need my help! !_ Yelling out the strain, she hauled herself up as far as her arms would allow, swinging her leg over the edge. She panted at the effort, and then swung the other leg over, rolling across the floor a few times before stopping on her back. She stared, uncomprehending, at the sky and descending snow, catching her breath.

She struggled up, legs wobbling a bit. She saw Shu shaking Jiro, saying his name over and over, caught up in an obvious panic, and made her way towards him.

Kluke laid a hand on his shoulder; Shu jumped at the contact, but calmed (very little) when he saw it was her. "K-Kluke... Y-you're okay... But... But Jiro-"

"Shh..." Kluke's voice came out much more calm and serene than she felt. "Easy, Shu. You won't help Jiro by getting upset. Back up, now; let me take a look at him."

Shu moved aside, letting Kluke pillow Jiro on her lap, slumping his head against her arm tiredly once she'd settled. Around the same time, Kluke did her best to evaluate Jiro's condition.

She found an answer rather quickly: very bad and, considering the poison, getting worse with every second.

He needed rest, and he needed to get out of this freezing air. He needed an antidote to get that destructive substance out of his veins. He needed to be as far away from this place as possible.

All of those things seemed like impossible goals at that point, but Kluke was determined to start getting to work on them.

Shu's head shot up. "Kluke! Over there!"

She looked behind her, just in time to see a War Mecha Robo cross the gap in one smooth motion.

Kluke felt an irrational burst of envy. It hadn't been that easy when _she_ jumped it.

When the Robo started moving toward them, Kluke sprung into action, pushing Jiro into Shu's arms and dragging the youngest of the trio in front of the door. She considered for a split second - fortunately, Shu was too preoccupied watching the enemy's approach - then, deciding there wasn't any time to consider anything, slammed her fist against the button to open the door.

Shu looked at the now-open doorway, gazing into the shadowy room; dark, but the doorway gave enough light to see by, and he could tell there was absolutely nothing in the room. It reminded him of the storeroom Jeelala had kept the Jibral Crystal in, except this one had nothing in it and was made completely of cold-looking metal.

Shu's obliviousness to things around him almost made Kluke sigh, but she didn't want to attract attention to herself.

With no warning, she shoved Shu as hard as she could. Both he and Jiro fell through the doorway, sprawling onto the ground.

She could hear them; more Mecha Robos were coming. They'd be on her any second now.

Shu used his hands to push himself into a sitting position, whirling his head around. "Kluke-! !"

Kluke smiled at him, but she looked so sad. Shu felt his heart leap to his throat. He wanted to hug her and tell her everything would be okay. He wanted Jiro to wake up so he could yell at the elder for doing something so irresponsible when he was obviously so smart. He wanted to go back to when he was two, back to when his parents had been alive; back to when Jiro and Kluke would take turns tossing him up into the air like he weighed nothing, and the feeling of contentment when he'd land in their warm and protective arms; back to when everything seemed so wonderful and happy and had a joyous discovery at every turn, back to before any horrible things - sadness or pain or death - had come into his life.

Kluke seemed to know what he was thinking, but shook her head, still smiling that sad smile.

Wordlessly, she closed the door and locked it.

Feeling like the weight of the world was on her shoulders, Kluke pressed her back against the door, trying not to hear the pounding and wailing on the other side.

She looked up, tightened her hands into fists, and prepared to face the incoming onslaught.

* * *

"_Kluke_! ! ! _Kluke_! ! ! _Kluke_! ! !" His shouts had long ago turned into sobs, and Shu didn't bother to hide it. He hated crying in front of people, but there was no one in the room awake to hear it but him. For that matter, there may not be anyone _alive_ to hear it.

How could she? How could she do this? ! How... How...

_How could she abandon me__? ! !_

Shu tried to take a few steadying breaths, but it did little good. He turned to Jiro, still lying on the ground, and made his way over to him. He pressed his ear to Jiro's chest, closed his eyes, and waited to hear a beat.

He heard it.

Shu sighed heavily.

And then he cried in a way he hadn't for ten years.

He cried for everything he could think of - Jiro, Kluke, both of his friends' parents, his grandfather, Marumaro, Zola, everyone who'd had their lives ended or ruined by Nene... his own parents...

A hand came up, lying softly on his hair. "Sh... Shu..."

Shu's eyes darted to Jiro's face, but his best friend remained still. His insides twisted.

He laid his head on Jiro's chest again, placing a hand on the black sweater where he imagined Jiro's heart to be, and started calling on the magic again. "Please... I'll do anything... Anything I have to... Please... Just heal him... Just make him better... Please, please heal him..."

Taking a deep breath, Shu poured into Jiro every kind of healing spell he knew, though they all seemed stronger for some reason. Jiro's words, which seemed like an eternity ago, came back to him, _"Maybe... Maybe the magic has something to do with our feelings..."_

When the magic stopped, everything seemed agonizingly still, unbearably quiet. Even so, Shu thought his breathing sounded extremely noisy. But maybe he was imagining all of it.

And then Jiro rasped out a cough.

Shu scrambled off Jiro's chest like a cat out of water. He gave the older boy space, but also helped him sit up to breathe better.

Jiro gulped down the air, still hearing Nene's horrid whispers in his head. When he opened his eyes, despite hearing the echoing memory of an Ancient's cackling, he smiled warmly (if a bit weakly) at Shu. "You... You saved me..."

There was a crash at the door. Shu held Jiro tightly, prepared to fight whatever came through. The doors opened, and Kluke flailed out of them before hastily shutting them behind her. Once they were closed, she slumped against them, sighing in weary relief.

"Kluke!" Shu nearly jumped up in his joy. "You're… You're okay!"

Kluke scoffed. "Of course I'm okay. It'll take a lot more than _that_ to bring me down." (Of course, she had actually thought, repeatedly, that she was going to die out there. But it didn't seem worth bringing up.) Kluke looked over her shoulder and winked at him. Then froze as she saw Jiro awake.

Before they could even blink, Kluke was on her knees in front of them, crying, and embracing Jiro like he was anchoring her to the world. "I... I... I-I thought you... you were..."

Jiro, blushingly, reached up and hugged her around the shoulders.

A loud noise interrupted and made them all go still. A sound that was akin to something very heavy falling from very high. Slowly, they all turned.

Just behind them, the Squishtrich stood from its awkward landing.

"This... can't be happening." Jiro simply stared at it. _This poison does _not_ work fast enough._

Quietly, Kluke asked, "Shu?"

Shu closed as his eyes, similar to when he'd get a scolding from any assortment of Talta villagers (though Jiro, Kluke, his grandfather, and Jiro's parents were high on the list). "... Yes, Kluke." It might've held an inquisitive air, but it definitely wasn't a question.

Her voice started low. "'Out of commission'..." And turned into a screech. "..._is not broken enough_! ! !"

… **And it's done! :D A small (aka sad) attempt with the last line to add some humor to the dire situation, but I don't think it came out as funny as I'd hoped (I'm also a little embarrassed to say that when Kluke quoted Shu in the last line, I'd forgotten what he said, so I had to go and look it up; I don't know why, but it bugged me that I didn't remember XP). *disappointed sigh* Anyway, my worries for this chapter are much the same as they were for Chapter 16 of **_**Blue Dragon Beyond**_**. Is there too much emotion? Did the action scenes turn out okay? I have no idea about either, but I think the action and fighting scenes this chapter were some of my better ones (readable, at least; some of my other action scenes I thought were horrible, but nobody seemed to mind, and sometimes even liked them). Anyway, I'm rambling again.**

**Please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter (if you get the chance)! :) The poll will be taken down after this chapter's upload. The next story to receive an update, not counting oneshots/drabbles, will be **_**Yami to Himitsu**_**. That one should come faster than this one did, because I already have most of the beginning written and it's been flowing very nicely. So, I'll try to update after 10 hits, but it's been more difficult to go by that method nowadays… I'll try, though. :) See you soon! :D**


	7. Chapter 6: Braving the Storm

**(Before you go on, I should let all of you know that I had this update ready on the 22nd of February, but simply was unable to go through with it because my heart wasn't it. I apologize for the delay. Also note that the notes were written then, and I haven't changed them, despite the fact that they are far more cheerful than I feel. I've had… a very trying time. Basically, one of those "as-bad-as-it-can-get" bad's. However, despite being thoroughly shaken, I'm remaining hopeful. I've decided to stay as upbeat and positive as I can during the updates that follow – I know that everyone likely has or is currently going through difficult times, and there's no reason for me to burden you with my own troubles. Perhaps by doing that and writing, I can kind of distract myself from what's happening. In any case, I'm sorry for rambling on like this; please, continue.)**

**Hi, guys! :) Well, I've had a nightmare of a day (and the day before), but somehow, I managed to scrape this chapter together. Before I say anything else, though – review replies! :D**

**pepperdadog:** … You know, I started to think that, too, for a while. XD Actually, about that… Well, I can't really say more without spoiling the story. *sweatdrops* I'm sorry; I tried to make it clear, but it was difficult to describe each place change without it sounding _exactly_ the same as the time before. XP Neat (though anything I missed, I'll go and fix); thanks! :D

**Prince of Tennis' Shaman:** *blushes* You did tell me a few times, but it's always good to know I'm doing my job right. XD Aw, An (thank you!)… *blushes again* Really? Wow… I didn't think it was that good. :D (Not that I don't think _Beyond_ has plenty of room to improve – because I'm as self-conscious about it, and my other stories, as anything – but I think it's probably one of my better stories. Anyway, just ignore your crazy rambling senpai… XD) Ah, th-thank you... *more blushing… again…* *hugs back* I will. :) (Despite the nightmarish time I've had recently, I'm actually doing pretty well. It's weird, I know.) You take care of yourself, too, okay? Thank you, An… That's right; I do, too. :D It's been a hard road, but I think things are finally starting to work out for me… And I know they will for you, too. :) Oh, don't worry about it. (I know what you mean; I think I was busier last summer than I was for the rest of the year. XD) You, too, An; keep hanging in there! Thank you; same goes for you and your family. :) I will; I think I've kind of made it through… but I won't let my guard down. And if you ever need anything, I don't know how much I'll be able to do, but that won't stop me from doing whatever I can to help. (Didn't do anything? An, you were _there_. That was more than enough. You got me through… some pretty rough days. Don't worry about how much you did; every bit, from the smallest thing to the biggest, helped me make it.)

**kitty67:** Thanks, and sorry for the delay; it would have been up a lot sooner if I hadn't lost my internet in August. D:

**windflame:** Thank you. :D I know; the number of stories isn't very many compared to other categories… But the numbers are still growing, slow but steady. :D Hopefully, the Blue Dragon archive will continue to grow as time goes on. :)

**Shadowmaster2323:** Thanks! XD Absolutely; I'd never give up on this story. :D

**BlueDragonIsAwesome:** Thank you. :D I try to do my best… That's good; I try hard to check all of my stories, but sometimes I slip up and make an error here or there. *sweatdrops* Definitely! I do a lot of cliffhangers, but I wouldn't leave you guys hanging like that without saying anything. XD I lost my internet in August, otherwise I would've had this done a lot sooner, but… Anyway. Thank you! :D

**kittygirl86:** Thanks! :D I know; I feel so bad for him. :( It was pretty awful Nene did this… XP Sorry for the wait, but here is the update, as requested. :)

**And review replies done! Since I'm short on time, I'll get straight to the point: in my most recent oneshot, **_**Peaceful Days**_**, I mentioned a surprise for the update of **_**Braving the Storm**_**. What is this "surprise", so to speak? **

**This is the second to last chapter of **_**Braving the Storm**_**. **

**Now, normally, I wouldn't do this, but since I've been keeping you guys waiting so long, I'm uploading this chapter and the last one at the same time. You've waited long enough. :) (Oh, and how does an estimated ten chapters become eight? D: That's why I don't usually do estimates, but… This reminds me of how a certain three to four chapters in **_**Blue Dragon Beyond**_** somehow became ten. XP) After the notes, read on!**

**(Note: I've gone back and done some minor editing of the prior chapters. It's nothing big… Just some slight changes of chapter titles – I finally got the colons to work in my chapter titles - grammatical corrections, and spaces between multiple punctuation marks, such as an exclamation point and question mark together, since the site keeps removing it, and I apologize in advance because of the way it looks; I don't have the time right now to contact the site administrators, so I didn't have much choice.)**

The Squishtrich went into motion, hefting one giant foot after another as it moved towards them. Shu scrambled up, desperate to get underneath it to block the hit that surely had to be coming.

But, still weak from using so much White Magic, he stumbled, and Shu knew it would cost all of them as he saw the foot coming down-

And Kluke was there, holding it up, Phoenix crying out and wielder doing likewise. Several tense seconds passed, and just as she seemed to be gaining the upper hand, her feet slipped and the Robo quickly pressed down on her even farther than it had initially. Just barely keeping it from crushing her, Kluke screamed, "Help me! !"

Shu didn't take any time to think it through. Ignoring his body's protests, he sprung forward, Shadow already out. He moved in a blur, barely aware of what he was doing; he knew that he'd used magic (probably a Magic Sword) of some kind because of the slight tug at his heart and mind that usually accompanied spells, but he wasn't sure of anything beyond that.

When he turned, Shu saw that that the Squishtrich's leg had given out underneath it, causing the robot to topple like a felled tree. After last time, though, he wasn't going to let his guard down. Kluke was already up and on her feet, pulling Jiro, who'd avoided the Squishtrich falling on him by mere inches, up and then towards Shu.

With Kluke and Jiro soon at his side, Shu's posture remained tense, but his mind was more at ease. They were close; he could keep them safe. He wouldn't fail this time.

But the Squishtrich made no move towards them - not a single attempt to attack. It was even more confusing when the Mecha Robo started moving backwards. _What's it doing...?_

Shu had just a short time to blink in surprise before he heard a whirling, mechanical sound. He would have no time to figure it out.

With no warning except for the strange thing they'd heard, the floor opened under their feet like a hatch, and the trio barely had time to grab onto one another as they were plunged into the dark, sightless hole.

The fall quickly became reminiscent of the time the three of them had slid down that shoot in the Flying Fortress (which felt like an eternity ago). The differences were the passage being slightly wider, and that it was a much more painful ride due to the way they held onto each other.

They soon discovered one more thing that was different - this shoot didn't just have turns, but sharp corners.

Shu and Kluke's joined hands slammed into one such corner, forcing them apart as they both cried out each other's names. The two held tight to Jiro, trying to huddle closer to him (though the sliding made it difficult) - both of them could feel his grip slackening, and neither were sure if he could hold on if he hit one of those harsh turns.

The next bend came up shortly after the last one had, and being the farthest down, Kluke got the brunt of it; it hit her directly in her back, making her cough hard.

"Kluke-!" Shu cried out her name

And then suddenly there was an unexpected twist that none of them had seen coming - just like this hole in the first place - and before he had the time to move, Shu's head slammed into the wall as everything went dark.

* * *

Everything... was shaking...

"...hu!"

A little more rest... Another five minutes, and he'll be up, no problem... Promise...

"Sh...!"

He just wanted to sleep a little more... He'll get up soon, really...

"_Shu_!"

The voice startled him into awareness. Shu sat up so fast that he nearly knocked heads with someone. A wave of vertigo hit him, sending him falling backwards into something that felt icy. He groaned, pressing fingers to his forehead. After a moment, he forced his eyes open. The sky was a blur of whirling, blizzard-like snow, and it outlined Kluke and Jiro, both of whom were staring down at him; Kluke looked more than a little concerned, and Jiro... Well, if Kluke seemed upset, then Jiro was positively _terrified_.

"Thank God." Kluke's voice sounded choked. "We thought..." She swallowed. "You were hardly breathing... We thought the cold had _killed_ you."

They took his hands and helped him sit up. Shu fought the urge to lie back again; his head just wouldn't stop _spinning_. Suddenly, a finger was pressing his forehead to get him to look up, and Shu knew it had to be Jiro; his best friend had been doing that to get his attention, and sometimes doing a faster version to cheer him up, since they were little. Even from the slight contact, Shu could tell he was shaking - but Jiro's face remained firm and unwavering. "It doesn't matter if the poison kills me or not. You don't get to die before me, got it?"

Shu was a little taken aback. "Jiro-"

"Promise me." Jiro's voice shook, and an odd, pleading note entered his tone. "_Please_." From the corner of his eye, Shu saw Kluke, who'd been looking at Jiro, suddenly become very pale.

Shu didn't know _how_ he knew, but this had something to do with Nene.

"I promise." Shu swallowed hard.

"My, my, what a touching scene." Even over the whistling wind, the lazy drawl was clear and mocking.

"Touching scene!"

Shu scrambled upward in a rush, ignoring all dizziness that accompanied the movement. Kluke did the same, and also dragged Jiro to his feet before she stood in front of him protectively.

Nene stood some distance away, Deathroy a constant presence at his shoulder. "As weak and pitiful as you are, you have followed every trial I have placed before you, and overcome every obstacle in your path. For that, you shall be rewarded." He stretched his arms wide, and what he spoke next almost sounded like a recitation. "You and I are now in the eye of the storm, young Sages, and it is time to see which of us shall emerge from it still standing."

Shu clenched his hands, tightening them into fists. "You can talk _nonsense_ all you like, Nene. This time you aren't getting away!" His hand sliced horizontally through the air. He wouldn't _allow_ Nene to get away. "Let's get on with it already!"

Nene's smirk twisted upward even further. "As you wish." His arms rose into the air, and he brought them down fast as something red started to emerge from behind him-

And suddenly it seemed as if the earth was tearing apart.

Shu saw Kluke push Jiro out of the way, and then the rest of it was happening too fast for him to keep track of.

The next he knew, he was sitting up again, and everything _hurt_. A quick look and he found Jiro a few feet away. Shu made his way over to him, half limping, and knelt down to shake him awake. Jiro roused with little effort, and pushed himself up with Shu's assistance. "Shu..." He mumbled his name, clutching his arm as if making sure he was really there. Waking up further, his eyes darted around - and then widened. "Kluke...? Kluke!" Jiro spun around and Shu looked, too.

And _looked_.

In the spot where the trio had been standing was the most awing and terrifying Ground-type spell Shu had ever seen. Kluke's rage-powered Grounda, or Groundus (if it existed), from earlier could hardly compare to this powerful magic. The earthen spires were enormous - twice the size of Kluke's prior spell and three times the size of an ordinary Grounda. They hadn't disappeared yet, either, seeming more solid than any of the other remains the Earth-element spells left behind.

And at the very top, pinned between two Ground pillars, was Kluke.

She only had a second to look down at them before she gasped in pain, eyes scrunching shut, as the spires started to _move_. "He's... crushing me...!"

"Kluke! ! !" Shu darted forward, slamming into the remnants of the Ground spell with every kind of Magic Sword attack he could think of. Kluke's cries became more desperate, and Shu picked up the pace. Though he used it rarely, since it took more out of him than most other spells (except maybe White Magic, since while he'd gotten good at it, it wasn't his forte as much as it was Jiro's), Shu went through the movements to synch up the magic before letting loose a Flarus Sword.

A long crack went up the center-most pillar, and then all of them shattered to pieces. Keeping an eye on her shadow, Shu outstretched his arms and just barely caught Kluke as she fell.

Shu set her down just as Jiro came up behind them and worriedly asked, "Are you alright, Kluke?"

"I hope so..." She was holding her middle, her features grimacing with pain. "We've got bigger problems, though." Kluke straightened, though she continued to clutch the side of her stomach, awfully close to the location of her lungs. "How can we beat him if he's casting Ground spells like _that_?"

"It doesn't matter!" Shu held up both fists, glaring angrily in Nene's direction. "We'll beat him anyway!" Without a second thought, he charged forward amidst Jiro and Kluke's protests. Muttering something about him being idiotic, Shu heard Kluke following behind him anyway and grinned to himself.

But even though he'd had his head turned towards Nene, and was running toward him now, Shu hadn't really been paying attention to what the Ancient was actually doing. And so it took him by surprise when he spotted Nene pulling his hand back, Chimera doing the same.

Shu skidded to a halt. "Kluke, get back-!"

But the warning came too late.

Shu yelled as the more-powerful-than-Windus spell gushed at him, instantly knocking him off his feet. During the short time he was in the air, he could feel the wind _literally_ slicing at and cutting his bare skin, the deepest one on his cheek.

He hit the ground hard, knocking most of the air out of his body. He rolled onto his side, coughing a little. _I don't care how bad it gets._ Shu got to his knees. _I don't care how many times he knocks me down._ He managed to stand, his determined gaze landing on Nene as he got back into his battle stance. "_I won't give up_! ! !"

Nene only laughed, and unleashed the Wind-element magic again. Shu could still hear him laughing as he hit the ground again.

* * *

Jiro felt like ice was running through his veins, and it had nothing to do with the poison or the cold.

His stomach wrenched as he watched Shu and Kluke, just laying there in the snow. They were moving (he tried to use it as consolation and failed) just a little bit at a time. Both were slow to get up. Both were injured.

"Just one spell, my friend." Jiro hadn't thought he could get any colder until Nene started speaking to him. "Just one little spell, just a small amount of White Magic, and you can take their pain away. One Barrier Magic spell to protect them from an attack and give them the advantage."

"Shut up!" Shu snarled at the Ancient, using his elbows to give him leverage. "You just shut up!"

Fear warred with agony inside him. Nene had only wanted to taunt him, but he had a point... It wouldn't take much. It would be easy. But Jiro was on the brink now - one casting could be the end of him.

Another Wind-element spell. The back of Shu's shirt was sliced open in a thin diagonal line, leaving a cut visible by the now-exposed part of his backside.

... Could he really let himself survive, unharmed, while Shu and Kluke were suffering and on the verge of death?

This time it was a Water-type spell. Kluke screamed as it crashed into her.

Jiro didn't want to die yet...

Back to Wind again. The onslaught had been sending them steadily backwards, and this time it slammed Shu into Kluke. When Shu managed to get up, he went to Kluke and started shaking her. But she continued to lay there in the snow, her eyes not opening. Only the slight groan she made let them know she was still alive.

... but watching Shu and Kluke die was worse.

He took a deep breath, steadying himself. If this would be his last spell, might as well make it a good one. He closed his eyes-

-and something small and familiar slammed into him, sending them both sprawling onto the snow.

Jiro snapped his eyes open. "Shu-"

"Are you _out of you mind_? !" Shu held him down by his arms. "What the heck were you thinking about? !"

"Saving you and Kluke!" Jiro snapped at him, patience drawn thin. "What do you _think_ I was doing? ! What, I'm just supposed to stand there and watch you _die_-"

"And what about me and Kluke? !" And such anger had entered Shu's voice that Jiro instantly quieted. "We're just supposed to let you sacrifice yourself and be _happy_ about that? !" Something wet hit Jiro in the face, and he numbly realized that it was the only tear Shu had let free; Jiro could see more in his eyes, but Shu had only let himself shed that single one. "... You've taken care of me for almost my whole life, Jiro. You and Kluke. But now it's my turn to take care of you." Shu finally let go of him, pushing to his feet.

And then Kluke was shouting. "_Shu_, _look out_! ! !"

Shu turned just as the Fire-spell came up behind him-

And Minotaur was roaring, weakened, but strong in will. Just like its wielder.

The flames hit the Shielda spell, rolling off uselessly - but Jiro could still feel the pain from it.

He staggered forward, grabbing Shu's hand. Jiro felt needle-pain all over his body - a thousand in his hands, a thousand in his head, a thousand in his heart. It wouldn't be long now. There were a thousand things he would have said. _The one secret I never told you is that I have feelings for Kluke, and I'm so sorry, because I never wanted to hurt you._ Or, _It's not fair that you and Kluke lost your parents; it doesn't make it any better, but you should know that my parents loved both of you like you were their own children._ Or, _Don't be sad, Shu. Things will be easier without me. I'm always the one that drags us down anyway._

And the one he wanted to say the most, _You weren't my brother by blood, but you were still the best little brother in the world._

But as Jiro slumped, his grip slipping, he said none of those things. Instead, he only said, "I'm sorry... But even if it was your turn to look out for me... it doesn't mean that my job stops..."

Jiro's hand slid away against his will as he dropped.

* * *

Shu caught him as he fell back towards the ground, the icy wind blowing that stubborn lock a little away from his face. Shu kept telling himself that it was the cold making Jiro look so pale.

Dark eyes opened weakly, but the same gentleness that had always been there remained. "Hey, kiddo."

_You promised you wouldn't call me that after I turned nine,_ were the words Shu would have said (it had been a joke between them - Jiro always saying the same thing, and Shu always responding the same way), but they were choked off by a lump - or a sharpness - or some kind of constriction - _something, but I can't think about it now because Jiro is_- or maybe it was all of them.

But it just didn't matter anymore.

"Hang on, Jiro." Somehow, he found the strength to speak. "Don't say anything." _Please. Don't say anything else. Don't-_ "We just need a little more time, and we'll get the antidote. You're going to be okay, Jiro. I-" Shu choked on the words.

Jiro just smiled at him. "Shu..."

And then both Kluke and Phoenix were screaming a battle cry, in an almost-indescribable way that made Shu feel like he was being pierced through, and something about it just seemed horribly _wrong_-

There was an explosion behind him.

Shu threw himself over Jiro, shielding him as snow and smoke rained down. He coughed from the thick air. He spent a moment worrying - more than before - for Jiro because of the difficulty he might have breathing, but then the wind cleared everything away. Shu used his hands to push up, and turned to see what had happened.

The smoke was still dissipating, so it took Shu a moment to see anything. But when it finally cleared, he could make out the scene.

Kluke knelt over Nene, Phoenix still out but Chimera gone. She was...

For a reason he couldn't explain, Shu went still.

She was hitting him. Again. And again.

And _again_.

"Kluke..." Something inside him twisted. This... wasn't right. "Kluke, _stop_!"

And then Shu could finally make out what Kluke was saying. "You... You killed him...! _You killed him_! !" Her voice sounded raw, filled with pain, and almost (_but it can't be completely_, Shu insisted to himself, _because it's Kluke, and she wouldn't_-) wild with rage.

Nene snarled at her. "He killed himself!" He pushed against her, and Deathroy tried swatting her right arm. But Kluke only hit Nene harder, smacking Deathroy away while the Ancient was down.

Feeling sick - and Shu didn't know why; he hated Nene, and he certainly wasn't feeling any sympathy for him being attacked, so why did Kluke's hitting bother him so much? - he hooked his arm under a shivering (and barely alive) Jiro's knees, lifting him and staggering from the difference in size combined with the snowy terrain. "Kluke!" He grounded his teeth together. "You've gotta stop!" He didn't know _why_ she had to stop; only knew that she needed to.

Kluke didn't seem to hear him, and continued. But Nene had apparently been waiting for an opportunity - the next time she raised her arm to strike him, he sharply shoved her off.

As Kluke fell back with an angry cry, Phoenix did likewise - and Shu saw that the Shadow's red eyes were unnaturally bright... But he didn't have a chance to think on it further; Phoenix unsummoned as Kluke hit the packed ground, and Shu rushed to her side.

Kluke curled on the ground, clutching her chest. "It... It hurts..."

Shu dropped to both knees, holding tight to Jiro with one arm and reaching out for Kluke with the other. "Kluke, what happened-?" He didn't have the chance to finish.

Ammunition rained down from the sky.

Shu instantly summoned the Dragon. He knew his Shadow wouldn't be able to protect Jiro and Kluke, but maybe there was a chance it could take some of the hits for them...

But none of the gunfire ever hit any of them - it was targeted directly on Nene. He yelled and lost his footing as some of the ammo hit his armor plating, denting but not penetrating.

Shu nearly collapsed with relief when he heard the familiar sound of a mechat engine. Their - _his_ - mechat engine.

Footsteps approached from behind, and then Zola and Marumaro swiftly came into view. Shu nearly leapt forward in his panic. "Zola, help! Jiro- he's- Jiro is-"

Zola stared at them and blanched as pale as the drifting snow. She grabbed Marumaro, keeping him from rushing at Nene. For the first time since Shu had met her, she looked lost. "Marumaro," and when she spoke, it sounded like it took everything for her to stay in control of herself. "Stay with Shu, Kluke and Jiro."

Marumaro looked ready to protest - but then he looked towards Shu for the first time, must have seen him holding an unconscious Jiro, and went still.

Zola had only taken a few steps towards the Ancient when Nene started speaking, practically growling out the words. "Foolish girl... It's too soon... She's made a mess of _everything_..."

"Messed up everything!" Deathroy flailed, seeming unusually upset.

"The antidote," Shu's voice came out hoarse. "Where is it, Nene?"

"An antidote, huh?" Zola glanced at Shu before turning back towards Nene. "Well, then. Let's find out."

* * *

Consciousness came to him slowly.

"Shu... you should try to calm down."

A snort. "As if you're one to talk. You're practically biting your nail down to the quick."

"Ha. I'm surprised you even know what that is."

"Hey! I'm not an idiot, you know." The sentence-ender caused both of their breaths to hitch. With the lightness of the mood broken, the pause was heavy with tension. "... Besides. You taught me that when I was little."

"... Oh. I guess I did."

"... Yeah."

Silence.

With the conversation seemly over, Jiro took the chance to open his eyes. His vision was met with a cracked, brown-gray ceiling.

"Jiro." Kluke's face came into his line of sight. Her eyes were wet. "You're awake."

"Finally! There you are." Shu leaned over, the side of his head bumping into Kluke's. His grin seemed weak. "I told her you'd wake up."

"We're... in the Hospital Ruins." Kluke bit her lip. "Zola and Marumaro are in the medicine room with Nene. For some reason..." She adverted her eyes at that point; Jiro wasn't sure why. "... He doesn't seem able to summon Chimera. So, Zola's making him show her and Marumaro where the antidote is."

"See, Jiro? You're gonna be fine." Shu nodded, to convince Jiro (and maybe even himself). "You just gotta hang on a little bit longer. You'll be okay."

Jiro knew he wouldn't be. He trusted Shu, but... He suspected that Nene might stall on purpose, and even if he didn't... Jiro just didn't think he'd be able to hang on that long. But he wasn't filled with the miserable resignation from before. Now he only felt an overwhelming sense of peace. He couldn't remember ever feeling so calm in his entire life. "Shu..." He searched for the strength to smile; despite his weakness, it came easily. "I... need you to be big now. I need you to take care of Kluke for me."

Kluke started to cry. Shu looked like he'd been kicked in the stomach.

"... I know you can do it. I've... been treating you like a little kid for years now. But, you haven't been for a while, have you? You're going to be a teenager soon. Almost an adult." Jiro swallowed hard. _I... wanted to see you grow up, Shu..._ "So... I know you'll be able to do it."

"... And Kluke." He turned to her. He didn't want to do this in front of Shu, but he didn't have the heart to tell him to leave. Besides, he probably deserved to know. "I've... wanted to tell you something. For a very long time." But... when it came down to it... _I could laugh at myself._ "And... It's ridiculous... Because even at the end... I'm still too scared to say it." Jiro would give almost anything for Kluke to know how he really felt about her, to know about the crush that had plagued him – been the most wonderful and painful thing he'd ever experienced in equal parts - for more than half of his life. But even when he had one last chance, he wasn't able to say it.

But Kluke brushed her hand over his cheek, talking through the tears that clogged her voice. "You don't need to say anything, Jiro."

... Maybe, somehow, she already knew.

A door slid open. Jiro couldn't look up, but he recognized the pattern of Zola's footsteps, as well as an uneven one that he guessed to be Nene. The skipping one, of course, had to be Marumaro. Shu leapt to his feet with a happy shout. "You got it! Hurry, let's-"

There was a click.

The click of a pistol.

Kluke screamed, and Jiro forced himself to sit up, trying to make his weakened body _move the right way already_ - and then his heart skipped a beat as he saw Szabo aiming his gun at Shu. _No... No, no, no..._

"Release Lord Nene or else." Szabo's arm was unwavering. The Mecha Robo general was quick; there would be no time to stop him. And if he shot, he wouldn't miss. "I will only warn you once."

Jiro knew only he had the skill required to heal such an injury - could a serious head wound even be healed the same way? - and even if the antidote worked, it would be unlikely that he could repair damage of that magnitude before it was too late. Just the thought of it alone made his stomach churn.

Zola, who'd likely figured all of that out, glared at the Mecha Robo sharply, and then at Nene as Deathroy started to laugh. She waited a few seconds, then gave the Ancient a hard shove towards Szabo.

Nene walked with unsteady steps towards the Mecha Robo. As he got near, he tripped, and Szabo swiftly and carefully caught him by the arm - but Nene roughly pushed him away, as if angry that he'd been helped. And then, with no warning, they were somehow warping out of the ruins.

Though there was an undercurrent of regret that Nene had gotten away - again - the relief mostly overrode it; the same kind of bittersweet victory that had happened during most of their previous encounters. Jiro started to relax-

-and it suddenly felt like his body was on fire.

He fell back into Kluke's lap with a gasp, hearing everyone in an echo. Marumaro hollered something he couldn't make out. Zola's words were clear, however: "Marumaro, give Kluke that bottle!"

Shu's face came into view. "Jiro! You gotta hang on! Not yet, please, just-!"

Kluke's sobs tore at his heart, but Jiro was already starting to lose consciousness. "Please, Jiro! Please... Please stay with us! You... You can't... Shu... Shu needs you, and I... I need you-"

It was the last thing Jiro heard before, like a heavy curtain falling, darkness smothered all sound and sight.

**And it's done! That… was a lot harder than it should have been. D: It didn't really move the way I wanted it to, and a lot of it could use improvement, but… For the time being, I'm leaving it as it is. Despite the story being soon-to-be-completed, I'm thinking that I may come back and re-edit the chapter later on. Any loose plot threads, such as they are, are intentional – **_**Braving the Storm**_** will, in fact, have a sequel, and the questions that may have arisen here will be answered in the continuation. (A side note of slight agitation: In the paragraph where Shu yells at Jiro, I **_**really**_** wanted to put "Kluke and I"… But, no matter how I tried to change it around, I just couldn't hear Shu saying it that way. I'm sorry! I know it's incorrect…)**

**Anyway, if you can, please review. I suspect that most of the reviews will go to the final chapter… But I'll still appreciate it if you let me know what you think about this one. :)**

**Up next: The conclusion of **_**Braving the Storm**_**!**


	8. Epilogue: Light Through the Clouds

**And here we are at the end! Before anything else, though, review replies!**

…**Or, well, this will be the space for them if there end up being any reviews for the previous chapter. I think I said most of what I needed to say in the last chapter, so I'll spare you from my ramblings.**

**And now: the final chapter of **_**Braving the Storm**_**!**

Szabo watched quietly as Nene tightened his fist, most likely feeling his strength return. Thinking on how it disappeared in the first place, he couldn't help but voice his concerns, "Lord Nene... Are you certain that leaving them like that was alright? Can... Can they really be left alone? Can _she_ be left alone-?"

"Enough, Szabo." Nene interrupted him curtly. "You aren't telling me anything that I don't already know. The circumstances have changed. I did what had to be done. And remember your place, Szabo. Unlike you, I know what I'm doing."

"Knows what he's doing!"

"Of course!" Szabo slammed a fist to his metallic chest. "A fool such as I could never compare to you, your Excellency."

Mecha Robos were simply tools, machines used for the purpose of war. They didn't have emotions like _real_ people did. They didn't feel anger or happiness or sadness. They couldn't think for themselves. They didn't feel pain. They didn't have hearts. They didn't have souls. Lord Nene had told him these things, so they _had_ to be true.

... Didn't they?

But... Sometimes Szabo would think that he _felt_ things-

-but that was ridiculous, because he was just a _thing_, and _things_ didn't feel anything the way people did. Lord Nene knew everything - there was no way he could be wrong.

Nene steepled his fingers. "I had not wanted to resort to such unbefitting measures... But with this recent turn of events, I'm left with little choice. I trust that you recall certain... _plans_... I mentioned to you a while ago?" He didn't wait for an answer. "Well, now we shall have to implement it. We have suffered a defeat, so it will take a while to put it into motion. But, overall, things will work much better." Nene smirked. "It is time to lay a trap for them."

Deathroy didn't mimic - he laughed.

Szabo would have felt a chill run down his spine - but he didn't have a spine, and he couldn't _feel_, so he forced himself to think he was just imagining things. He told himself the doubt, far away in the back of his head (_it couldn't be, Lord Nene said so_), wasn't real, either.

* * *

He felt... cold.

Were you supposed to feel cold when you died?

That didn't sound right...

Then again, maybe it _was_ possible - it wasn't as if he'd ever been able to ask anyone.

... He didn't want to die yet. There were people that cared about him, and that he cared about in return... It was... too soon. It wasn't fair...

But...

Realization hit him.

Maybe the reason he felt cold... was because he wasn't dead yet.

The hope that thought caused started to chase away some of the chill. He tried to move his hand, willing his body to respond...

His fingers curled without resistance.

And not only was there no difficulty involved with the movement, but he could feel the normal strength in his muscles, in his bones. The strength that should have been gone, sapped away by the poison, had at last started to return.

A bit of trepidation entered his mind as he decided to open his eyes. But he had to find out where he was, and what had happened to him, sooner or later, so he let his eyelids lift...

He saw clouds. He saw the sky, looking almost fluffy in its overcast state, accompanied by the occasional softly drifting snowflake. He saw, through the white-gray curves, beams of sunlight piercing through. And he saw...

Shu and Kluke.

At first, he thought he had to be dreaming. _It couldn't be... could it?_

But then he saw Kluke reach out a trembling hand, and gently touch his forehead.

And he _felt_ it.

His throat scratched a little when he talked. "Kluke... Shu..."

And then both of his friends were falling towards him and the trio was embracing like their lives depended on it.

* * *

Zola sighed. "We got here too late."

She and Marumaro had decided to search Nene's recent base, leaving Shu and Kluke to watch Jiro to see if the antidote worked. She had hoped to find a clue, anything that could help them - and if they were extremely fortunate, Nene himself.

But the place was utterly empty, void of any sign of life. There wasn't even a single Mecha Robo, save for a mostly-destroyed one a few floors up.

Nene was moving a little too fast for Zola's liking; to say that this new development disturbed her would be an understatement.

Another sigh. She didn't like this - not in the slightest - but there wasn't anything she could do about it. "Come on, Marumaro. Let's get back to the others."

He hopped into step beside her. "So, what're we gonna do now, Lady Zola?"

"First, we wait for Jiro to recover." _And he will. He _will_; you can't afford to think any other way._ It was one of the only things she'd come to regret about trusting people again - when something bad happened to them, it always hurt her, and she always feared that one day it would cloud her judgment and get them into an even worse situation than they would have been in. _But I can't think that way, either._ "After that..." She thought for a moment, then continued. "After that, we'll have much to do. But one of our priorities should be searching for Yasato."

And there was someone else - Yasato. Before, she would have considered him nothing more than a Mecha Robo. Simply just a machine. But when the Mecha Robos from Baroy had been throwing themselves at the Red Barrier, Shu's determination for Yasato and the others to live had changed her whole perspective about the robots. Now, she considered Yasato... an ally. A friend.

"Why Yasato, Lady Zola?" Marumaro didn't seem to object to going after Yasato, but rather why Zola would make that a priority, likely for the reason she'd just been thinking about.

At this point, they emerged from the elevator. She scanned the snow-covered field, easily spotting the mechat just where she'd left it. She headed for the ship, Marumaro still close by. "If it weren't for Yasato, we might not have made it through all of that Mecha Robo resistance, or the cannons equipped on the fortress' outer ring." Marumaro nodded his agreement. "Because of that, if Nene finds out he helped us, chances are he'll decide to go after Yasato. So we should make sure Yasato is safe for the time being before going after Nene.

The two arrived at the mechat. Zola opened the hatch door quietly, so as not to disturb their companions on the deck. "Aside from that, our goal remains the same. We continue our search for Nene where we left off. As soon as we're able, we'll go to the yellow dots that appeared on the radar map, and hopefully we can find some clues that will lead us to him." She should've been cushioning Marumaro against what they might find when they reached the top level of the mechat, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. That had never been her way. Zola had always cut straight to the heart of matters; she was never one to brace others against harsh realities. Even if they were her friends, and needed her to do that.

"Gotcha!" Marumaro, oblivious to her thoughts, continued to show nothing but optimism, despite the blow that had been dealt to their team.

Grimly, Zola wondered if that blow had left a wound that would never heal.

Either way, they would find out in a matter of moments.

They had proceeded through the cabin in a matter of seconds, but Zola found herself hesitating at the ladder to the deck. She wasn't as close to Jiro as she was to, say, Marumaro - but that didn't make him any less of a friend. She regretted now that she hadn't gotten to know him better, and hoped that she would still have that chance. With a slight nod to herself, Zola gripped the bars and began to climb, hearing Marumaro follow her lead.

She hauled herself up the last one, hanging for a moment on the support bars that they usually used for going down the ladder. She scanned the deck - and seeing Shu and Kluke lying next to Jiro, the tops of their heads pressed together, she feared the worse...

But they were only staring up at the sky - and laughing. And not just Shu and Kluke.

Jiro was, too.

Her tight grip on the metal slackened, no longer tensely grasping it, but just enough to hold her in place. The cold fist that had been clenching her heart finally let go.

From below her came Marumaro's impatient voice. "Lady Zola, what's happening?"

Though not able to clearly see him, she smiled down at the hole. "Climb down, Marumaro. They need a minute... but everything is fine."

Saying it made it that much more real.

* * *

Jiro distantly remembered cloud watching with Shu and Kluke years ago. It made the moment seem... more precious, somehow. He reached without looking, easily finding both of their hands. He held onto them firmly, needing to feel that they were still there and he was still with them.

Most of the snow had stopped now. The clouds were starting to move, carried on the wind to places far away. Bit by bit, more of the blue sky was revealed, clear and bright. The sun kept getting brighter and brighter by the second.

They had gotten away from Nene. All of them had made it out alive, even against the odds.

They had weathered the storm, and made it out safely on the other side.

… **Dear **_**God**_**. I can't believe it's actually done. These two final chapters were rather short… But for the epilogue, I felt that was needed. Well… It's been a long and weary road, but the end has finally been reached.**

**Concerning the sequel: Yes, it is in progress. I've started the prologue, but it will be quite a while before it's uploaded. I have a lot that I need to do in terms of plot-forming, so, unfortunately, I'm anticipating that it won't be up very soon. I have a lot of different potential plot threads bouncing around in my head, but I have to decide which ones will actually stay, and for the ones that are permanent, I have to connect them to each other to make the story plausible. Aiyaa…**

**So, if you can, review and let me know what you think! :) Review replies will be in the first chapter of the sequel, which has yet to be named. As for the poll, the current results will be cleared, and you should be able to vote if and/or whenever you want to.**

**Finally, I'd like to thank everyone who's read and/or reviewed this story – I'm immensely grateful that you've stuck it out with this story for so long, and hope that you'll stick around for the distant-but-hopefully-relatively-soon sequel.**

**Thanks for reading! :D**


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